Chased Down
by viper676
Summary: Yes, ladies and gents, that's right. Chapter 24 is indeed up! Warning: Involves a mad squirrel and Kit's head.
1. Photograph

__

Chapter One

Photograph/The Fight

Kit Rodriguez drummed his fingers on the arm of the loveseat on his front porch, idly tapping his foot against the coated oak planking, waiting. He checked his watch, wondering if it was fast, if it was slow, or if his best friend was just running late. Heaving a sigh, he watched the morning sun peer above the lone tower of the Empire State Building and wondered how long he had missed her by, or how long it would be before she got here. He idly fingered the necklace she'd given him the day of his fifteenth birthday, and thought of how long it must have taken her to construct the beads. He listened to the robin he'd talked to the other day begin its daily serenade of how wonderful summer was...

A bike flashed by, and there was a squeal of both brakes and tires as its rider braked hurriedly and spun the bike around to face him. Smoke pluming from the rear tire as a result of her hasty fishtail, Nita Callahan jumped off the bike and tossed her helmet onto the seat. Shaking back long wavy auburn hair, she blinked at Kit and smiled ruefully. "Sorry I'm late. Dairine again..."

Kit shook his head and grinned. "I figured. What'd she do this time?"

Nita rolled her eyes. "Three guesses."

"Awright, then. Uhhh, another upgrade for Spot?"

"Well, that too..."

"Does this have to do with a computer?"

"Surprisingly, no."

"What'd she set fire to this time?"

"Bingo. She tried making brownies with wizardry...I barely got the kitchen door shut in time."

Kit winced. "Oooooh. How hard is it baked on?"

"Hard enough to need a pant chipper to flake it off."

"Oh, boy."

"Yeah. So, whatcha need?"

"Don't you remember? We gotta help S'reee with the mines."

"Ummm...oh, yeah, huh."

Kit moved over slightly. "Sit down."

Nita stepped up onto the porch and plopped down beside him. 

"What?"

"Would you like to go to a movie sometime tonight or tomorrow night? You know...if it's alright with you."

Nita considered that.

"What time?"

"I dunno. Whatever...er ...whenever you want."

"Hmm. Seven today sound good?"

"Yeah."

"Matter of fact, I was thinking of having a 'tag team' night...we'll just hang out."

"I guess so. Today?"

"Oh yeah. After the movie, I guess."

"Awright. Sounds good."

Nita checked her watch.

"So what time did S'reee want us down there?"

Kit blinked.

"Ten thirty."

Nita sighed.

"Those mines. Hey, we got a bit more than an hour. Why'd you call me over here so early?"

Kit very casually draped an arm around her shoulders.

"Guess."

Nita playfully resisted for a while, then gave up and let Kit pull her close to him. She nudged him gently, inquiring, "What do you wanna see?" 

Kit was about to answer when the screen door banged open, and Nita quickly pulled herself away from Kit and busied herself reading a book as Dairine, her younger sister and fellow wizard came out. She was thirteen, and a rather powerful, if inexperienced wizard, but that didn't stop her from being a real pest every other millisecond. This was proven too true as she pointed a finger at Nita and, a grin spreading across her face, said in her best I'm-going-to-blackmail-you voice: "You two are _so_ busted."

Nita glanced up from behind her book. "Huh?" she asked in a perfectly innocent tone.

Kit raised an eyebrow. "Dairine? You feeling alright?"

Dairine waved a Polaroid photograph in front of Nita's nose, and she snatched it out of her hand. Her jaw dropped and she went white, then blushed. "You wouldn't _dare_..." she growled. 

Dairine shrugged, plucking the picture back out of Nita's hand. "Alright then. Hey, DAD!"

Nita went white again. "Alright, alright," she hissed. "Whaddya want?"

"Five bucks."

Nita felt like decking her younger sister. But the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs sent her into a panic. She dug into her wallet and tossed Dairine a five. Dairine Frisbeed the Picture at them and, tucking the bill into her pocket, proceeded to show their dad a fantastic new plant in their backyard- a huge ragweed. Kit glanced at the picture, clearly taken by Spot not five minutes ago. He shook his head after Dairine and whispered to the fuming Nita, "Whaddya say we...get even?"

Nita was biting her lip so hard it was starting to bleed. "_How?_"

Kit grinned. "I have my ways..."

Nita made a face, and he laughed. 

"Let's head down to the beach," he suggested.

Nita tossed a transit circle onto the ground, and with a tiny thunderclap, disappeared.

Kit sat with his knees drawn up to his chest, watching Nita flip through Stephen King's _Christine_, gripping the book so tight her knuckles were white. Her eyes were wide as she read line after line, and Kit chuckled softly. 

"Bit scary, Neets?"

She gasped and jumped, looking around wildly. 

"Kit! Oh, geez, you scared me."

She took a few deep breaths, and as soon as she regained her composure, asked carefully, "You wanted something?"

"How scary?"

Nita shrugged.

"Not too bad...."

She caught Kit's raised eyebrow and smiled ruefully.

"Pretty gruesome in some areas. It's one heck of a page turner."

Kit grinned hugely.

"That's good, 'cause we're probably seeing that movie."

Nita threw a rock at him.

"_Kiiit!_"

He dodged it and laughed.

"Alright. We'll just go see _Dreamcatcher..._"

"_Kiiiiiiit!_"

He laughed harder.

Nita shook her head, wrung the last of the ocean water from her hair, and continued reading.

Kit smiled and just stared out over the horizon.

By the time six thirty rolled around, Nita was at her nerve's end. She had finished _Christine_, and was more than just plain scared. She was half panicked, and watched every passing car nervously, so realistic was the way Stephen King wrote. She jumped more than once, and Kit had to clap a hand over her mouth to keep her from screaming as someone asked them for directions. By the time they reached the theatre, Nita was pretty unnerved- note the _was_- until a red-and-white '68 Fury pulled up beside them. The driver, a middle-aged man, raised an eyebrow as he watched Nita slip out from behind Kit, totally white, and dash into the post office next door. The driver looked at Kit, who shrugged, and they both burst out laughing. The man, grinning, called out the passenger window, "Just read Stephen King, didn't she?"

Kit nodded. "Yeah. _Christine._"

The man shook his head. "Yeah, this baby wouldn't hurt a fly. Besides, nothing's stock but the lights."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

The light changed, and the Fury pulled away, the man waving as the car disappeared down toward the waterfront. Kit sighed and went to se what he could do about Nita.

Nita, her face still white enough to be seen in the darkness of the theater, whispered, "So run that by me again?"

Kit sighed and dutifully repeated himself for the eighth time. "The car was just the same year and color as the one in _Christine_. Nothing bad..."

"Awright. Sorry. I...just freaked."

Kit shook his head, smiling, and turned his attention back to the movie.

Nita sat on Kit's bed, watching reruns of Lord of the Rings; the radio tuned to some country station. She was bored with the movie, having already seen it eight times over, and was more interested in the radio, in which some female singer was singing a rather slow love song.

__

Just when I think I'm under control

I think I've finally got a grip.

Another friend tells me that my name is always on your lips.

They say I'm more than just a friend

They say I must be blind

But I admit I've seen you watch me from the corner of my eye.

****

A/N: So Complicated, by Carolyn Dawn Johnson

Nita frowned, struck by the exactness of how the song Kit and hers relationship. And she _had _seen him watching her, on many occasions-the latest being three minutes ago. She shook her head. They had a perfectly normal relationship, neutral in all ways...right? But did _she_ want it to be that way? 

Her thoughts were interrupted as Kit came in the door with a bag of Warheads, a jar of Pixie Sticks and two bags of popcorn. She shook her head and commented, "Geez, Kit, you know we're gonna get on one heck of a sugar rush..."

He raised an eyebrow.

"_We_?"

She rolled her eyes. "Okay, _I'm_ gonna get on one heck of a sugar rush. You know me."

__

Not well enough, Kit thought, and instantly flushed as Nita's gaze flicked from the floor to his face.

"Not well enough?" she inquired.

Only Kit's quick thinking saved him from total embarrassment. "Huh? No...I thought the-er-movie didn't express the book well enough," he stammered.

Nita gave him a look that was filled with unspoken questions, but she turned back to the movie. Kit breathed a silent sigh of relief and popped a Warhead into his mouth to take his mind off Nita. Unfortunately for him, Nita was always there-occupying quite a few of his thought topics, and his mind eventually wandered back to her. He mentally scolded himself after one such period, telling himself, _Kit, you just spent ten minutes checking out your best friend. Get a grip!_ But then, a tiny part of his mind said quietly, _But she's cute. And you know you want her. And she _has_ told you on various occasions that she wanted you..._

Nita glanced at Kit, who seemed to be very absorbed in the computer terminal, his eyes slightly glazed and strangely empty. She turned her attention back to the movie, but her mind was elsewhere. She absently tore open a Pixy Stick and poured it into her mouth, wondering what Kit was thinking. Secretly, she hoped he wasn't thinking about her relationship with Ronan, which he had discovered five weeks ago when he caught her daydreaming. A fight had followed, and Nita distinctly remembered yelling into his set face, _'Get off my back! Damn, I hate it when you're this protective, can't I have more than one relationship? We're going to break up eventually, you know!' _She winced as she recalled the instantaneous feeling of huge guilt and Kit's final two statements to her for the entire month of June, his voice calm and level, but hurt and icy in tone. _'Fine. Of course we'll break up later. Why didn't I think of that? Maybe...I should just..._terminate_ our wizardry partnership.'_

She had almost cried at those words, but she was too angry for that to stop her. _'I don't give. Go ahead. Terminate it.'_

She had almost jumped as she glimpsed the anger and pain behind Kit's perfectly straight face as he had told her coldly, _'Fine. I'll go see Tom and Carl tomorrow evening. Don't expect me to help you with any more wizadries.'_

And with that, he had turned on his heel and, dropping a transit circle, vanished.

To what would have been her horror if she knew, that argument was exactly what Kit was thinking of at that moment. 

They had made up the other week, Tom and Carl wisely telling them to stay together, and Nita had made _him_ the guilty one by rendering him speechless with the query- "Isn't it all right to have one or two friends?"

He still hadn't thought up an answer.

"H'lo! Earth to Kit..."

"Huh?" Kit snapped out of his reverie and looked at Nita. 

"Hmm?" he asked.

She looked somewhat amused. "I asked you a question. "

"Oh. Sorry. What's up?"

Nita took a breath before continuing.

"Okay. Kit, exactly what is your definition of love?"

Kit rolled his eyes. "Oh, Neets, if this is about Ronan again..."

Nita suddenly wanted very badly to stuff a pillow in his face. She managed to contain her temper and said very calmly, "Kit, _shuttup._ No, it's not about _Ronan_. Just answer the question please."

Kit shrugged nonchalantly. "I dunno. I guess to, uh, care very much about, have a large amount of affection towards." He looked at her closely, trying to figure out why she was asking. "Why?"

She waved Kit's face away. "No real reason...just curious."

Kit rolled his eyes again. "Uh-huh. Nita, you're lying, and that is just _too _obvious. What do you really want?"

Realization dawned on him, and he looked at Nita, who grinned sheepishly at him. She tilted her head every so slightly to the side as Kit moved closer...

__

Bang!

Nita jumped and exasperation danced in both her and Kits' eyes as Dairine brushed herself off. Nita lost her temper at her sister's display of innocence and demanded angrily, "Dairine, what the _hell_ are you doing here?"

Dairine appeared slightly amused. "Language, Neets. Tom and Carl said to check on you, as there was a major power rating jump in both you guys' profiles."

Nita gritted her teeth to keep from blowing up, then glanced over her shoulder as Kit laid a hand on it. 

"We're fine, Dair. Go back to Tom and Carls'."

Dairine smirked. "What _were_ you two doing?"

Kit's left eyebrow twitched. "What do you think?"

"Making out?"

Kit casually held Nita back as she strained to get at Dairine. "No. Now go back to Tom's, or I'll tell..."

That did it. Dairine dropped a transit circle and vanished in an implosion of air. Nita stopped struggling, but she was still fuming. Kit pulled her back toward him with surprising strength, and he put a pillow on top of her face until she stopped grappling with it. She pushed it off her face and glared up at Kit. Still ticked, Nita let air out through her front teeth in an annoyed hiss. "I swear, she can annoy the hell out of anyone..."

Kit grinned behind Nita's back as she ranted and raved about her demonic little sister for a good five minutes before tiring of the one-sided conversation and falling asleep in Kit's easy chair.


	2. Confessions

**_A/N: I DON'T CLAIM TO OWN THE YOUNG WIZARDS SERIES! NONONONONONO!!!!!_**

Chapter 2

Confessions

"Christopher Rodriguez!"

Kit jumped and his eyes popped open as he sat up in bed. Across the room, Nita grinned at him from atop his trunk packed with his old clothes and stuff he'd outgrown. "You're up. Great. Knew that was going to do the trick..." she laughed and dodged the pillow he hurled at her. "Fine, Miss Juanita Callahan...."

Nita launched herself off the trunk and brought Kit down flat on his back. She sat on top of him until he managed to push her off, and they fell in a jumble of arms and legs, laughing and protesting. Ponch, Kit's ever-adoring black Lab, poked his head in, then trotted in and licked both their faces. Nita extracted her arm from behind Kit's head and gently pushed the dog away. "Euuuu, Ponch...."

Ponch licked her once more, then turned to Kit again, knocking him over as he placed his front paws on Kit's chest and pushed. Nita turned red trying to hold her laughter back as Kit struggled with Ponch. "Ponch! Down, boy. Tell you what. Get off, and we'll go chase squirrels later."

Ponch backed up and cocked his head at Kit. By mind communication, he responded, _Seems like you'll be a bit too busy with Nita. Yeah?_

Kit rolled his eyes. Ponch had been getting a lot more observant lately, and had been coaching Kit in his relationship with Nita. He sighed mentally and shot a thought back. _Fine, you got me. I'll try._

Ponch wagged his tail. _Remember..._

Kit swallowed. _Be confident. I know. _

Nita grinned at him. "So? Where to?"

"I was thinking Tiana Beach. The uncrowded place."

"Awright. Sounds good. Let's go."

Kit fingered his necklace, dropped a transit circle, and grabbed Nita's hand. He almost froze, then told himself _Kit! Stoppit. You've done this hundreds of times before. Why notice it now?_

Kit knew, but he wasn't telling his conscience that. He stepped into the circle with Nita and said with her the few syllables it took to activate the circle. With a _bang_ of air rushing inward to occupy where they had one stood, they were gone.

Nita smoothed her hair behind her ears and stared out across the ocean's flat surface, thoughts in turmoil. She knew Kit too well to know he wasn't thinking about her. Something about the way his eyes were brightening slowly, something about the way he was sitting, something... Nita couldn't place her finger on it. She tried concentrating her thoughts on the sandpipers dashing along the sandy beach, occasionally plunging their beaks into the ground and retrieving a clam or some other unfortunate shellfish, and failed, her mind always drifting back to Kit. She knew he was fighting with himself, forcing himself to tell her something, but what she didn't know. Kit apparently didn't either, because after a while, his thoughts turned to confusion and bewilderment, and she almost laughed aloud as his obvious bewilderment. It was almost cute, she realized with a slight jolt. Really cute. She purposely let Kit overhear those two thoughts, and saw him blush and become very interested in a grain of sand in between his fingers. She shook her head at Kit's effort to stay mature and decided to kill that effort. She got up slowly and went and stood behind Kit, who remained blissfully unaware he was to become a victim. Nita bent down and tickled him in his one sensitive spot, just below the nape of his neck. He instantly squirmed and, turning, tackled her, bringing her down on her back in the warm sand. She was up and on her feet again, watching Kit try and go back to his book. She flicked a shell at him, and he couldn't take it any longer. Nita was up and running as Kit took off after her, sand spraying behind him as he chased her down.

Nita sprawled in the sand beside Kit, breathing hard. She'd evaded him until she ran out of energy, and he had finally managed to catch and tickle her until she started crying with laughter. Nita had finally flopped down next to him, and they had stayed like that until now.

"Nita?" Kit asked cautiously.

"What's up?"

"I'm gonna say this once more...I'm really sorry about my reaction to Ronan and you...but, it kinda hurt..."

Nita bit her lip and, not knowing what else to do, reached out and hugged him.

"Oh...Kit..." she said quietly. "I'm sorry...too...oh, Kit..."

She tucked her head under his chin, and they stayed like that for quite some time. Nita sighed, looked up into his eyes, and was lost in them. Such a clear, crystallized brown...

Kit was likewise lost in Nita's gray irises. He gazed into them without embarrassment, not daring to blink, lest he miss one moment of this...

With reluctance, Nita tore her eyes away from his and, smiling through unexplainable tears, tilted her head sideways. Kit very gently placed his lips to hers, and, feeling the satisfaction in that, they quickly pulled each other close. Their bodies fit together like two matching pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, that which they were. Perfectly matched for each other. Kit, as they had begun the kiss, had had no idea what to do with his arms, but as the kiss progressed, they had a life of their own, wrapping themselves around Nita's waist and pulling her close. Nita reluctantly broke the kiss, placing her head gently on Kit's chest as it rose and fell in time to the pounding ocean waves. Kit kissed the top of her head, and after a few moments, the feeling of stupidity wore away and he kissed her forehead again. They spent the rest of fifteen minutes like that, hearts racing, forehead-to-forehead, before Nita nudged him with her head. 

                "Hey. Romeo. Stop daydreaming. This is about as close to your dreams as we're going to get today."

Kit's eyes flashed with amusement as he captured her lips once more.


	3. Another Fight

Chapter 3

Another Fight/Why Me?

Kit stretched out on the beach and sighed. Nita sat nearby, starting on another novel, this one by E.L. Konigsburg, _The View from Saturday_. All was peaceful and calm...until Kit's cell phone rang. It all went downhill from there. 

"H'llo?"

"Hey Kit. It's Lauren."

"Hey."

"We still going through on that date?"

Kit's gaze flickered over to Nita, who was suddenly very attentive to the conversation, her eyes first disbelieving, then angry. 

"Uh...no. Something came up..."

"You're seeing that Callahan girl, aren't you?"

"No..."

"Yes you are, I can tell. Fine. If you want to get together again, just call me. You have my number."

She hung up, and Kit slowly shut the phone off.

"_Kit._"

Nita's voice was flat and menacing. Kit winced and held his hands up.

"Nita, I can explain..."

She was on her feet, clearly hurt and furious.

"So all this time, you were seeing that Amy girl, _pretending_ you loved me, just for one kiss? That's pretty cheap, Kit."

"Nita, that's not..."

She slapped him across the face. Hard. "Shut _up_, Kit. I'm sick of hearing this crap from you..."

"How the heck you think I felt when you went out with Ronan, _ignored_ me for a month, and told me to kill our partnership?"

Nita saw red. "SHUT UP!" she screamed. 

Fuming, she jabbed a finger in Kit's chest to emphasize each word. "I-am-sick-of-_this_!" she snarled, giving the last jab all the power she could muster, sending Kit reeling backward. 

Starting to cry with frustration, Nita punched him in the shoulder, sending him reeling again.

He stumbled and started to protest. "Nita, I...."

She took a breath, tears shimmering in her eyes, glared at him, and said with deadly calm, "Go to hell, Kit." 

Kit was instantly surprised. He stared, slack-jawed, at Nita, until she slugged him again in the same shoulder, catching him off guard and knocking him down.

He was back on his feet in an instant, skillfully dodging Nita's next punch, and dropped a transit circle. He stepped on it, and Nita's fists struck air this time. She collapsed where she stood, crying with frustration and pain, her tears leaving wet dots on the sand where they sank in.

Kit nursed his bruised shoulder and swollen spots where Nita's nails had dug in when she slapped him. Tears began to trickle down his face as he thought in silent anguish, _Why me? Why do I make these decisions? Why? Now I've got two girls mad at me, no wizarding partner, no date, and a wonderful bruise on my shoulder. Damn...can life go any further down????_


	4. Dairine’s Intervention

Chapter 4

Dairine's Intervention 

It was almost three weeks after Kit and Nita had had their big fight. They were still not talking, and Dairine was forced to bring their fight to a stop. With Carmela talking to Nita, Dairine popped up into Kit's room, scaring him half to death.

"What the..._Dairine_? What're you doing here?!"

"Kit, calm down. Look, you two have _got_ to make up!"

Kit's face clouded.

"I would, if she'd just..."

Dairine gave him 'the look', and he quieted down.

"Thank you. Kit, you two have got to get back together. Tom'n'Carl say that there's a high possibility the Lone One's gonna hit you two again sometime soon. You two are okay apart, but you two bring out the best in each other when you're partnered," she told him, her voice getting quieter and quieter. "Kit, I can't stress this enough. _Get back together_. You're killing yourselves by keeping away from each other. She's not exactly happy right now."

Kit's reply was cool, but not icy.

"Yeah? Ask her how _I_ feel."

Dairine managed to control her temper. 

"Okay. Kit, get over to my house right now. Nita has to talk with you."

As he hesitated, Dairine got him. 

"She's been crying ever since you had that fight."

He was gone in a flash.

"Nita?"

She looked up from her book, her eyes subdued and slightly moist.

"Kit."

He sat down beside her, and they stayed in silence for a while. Kit looked at Nita, whose head was bowed, tears trickling down her face. Kit bit his lip, then very gently put his arms around her. She whirled round, flung her arms around his neck, and buried her face in his chest, starting to really cry now. Kit hugged her tightly, and anyone who saw them for those next ten minutes would have thought they had been separated for years instead of weeks. Nita was merely happy to be with Kit again, and vice versa. Nita, after making sure the door was locked and the room was inaccessible to everyone but them, snuggled up to Kit, asking very quietly, "Kit?"

"Neets?"

"I'm r-really, really s-sorry. I was being a real b..."

Kit gave her a warning look.

"I don't like swearing that much..."

"S-sorry. Kit, I...I know this sounds stupid...but..."

"I'm not allowed to have more than one girlfriend?"

Nita gave him a wry, wet smile. "No. Are... are we still friends?"

Kit looked half ready to laugh, half about to pity her.

"Whaddya think?"

"Well, then, we're more than just...friends."

"Uh...yeah, I guess."

"Are we really?"

Kit grinned. "I see where this is going..."

Nita put her arms around him. "Awww, Kit..."

They snuggled together, and, from the refuge of the outside corridor, Dairine and Carmela exchanged high-fives, then tiptoed off, leaving the two teenagers to themselves.


	5. Renagade Autos

__

Chapter 5

Renegade Autos

"Kiiiit..."

Kit poked his head out over the staircase, dark hair tousled. 

"'Meeeeela..."

"Phone. Pick up your extension."

"Awright."

He grabbed the phone Nita tossed to him from her position on the floor.

"H'llo?"

"Hey Kit. Tom here. Listen, you check your manual lately?"

"Uh...no. What happened?"

"Looks like three kids just went on their Ordeals simultaneously."

"Triplets?"

"Nah, they're not even related."

"Huh. Uhh, coincidence?"

"Ma..._what the_..._holy_ *****. (Used to replace the swearword Tom used to great effect) Kit, their power ratings just went through the roof. _And they're all the same._ Look at it... Put Nita on."

"Awright."

He tossed the phone to Nita. "Tom."

As Nita resumed the conversation, Kit dug around on top of his dresser for his manual, flipped it open, and turned to the page that was rippling, though there was no breeze. 

SMITHINTON, Ethan H. Novice rating

14868 Liberty Ave. (RL +27.8/ - 0.3)

Huntington Beach, CA 11575 On Ordeal: no calls

(516) 555-8406

THOMPSON, Kurt M. Novice rating

5486 Marquis Lane (RL +27.8/ -0.3)

Hempstead NY 11575 On Ordeal: no calls

(516) 555-4565

FRAIZER, Iola W. Novice rating

864 Caprice Drive (RL +27.8/ -0.3)

Long Beach, CA 11575 On Ordeal: no calls

(516) 555-5389

"No _way_," Kit breathed. Those ratings were three times that of Dairine when she'd gone on _her_ Ordeal, and Tom had been amazed at a mere 9.8. But a 27.8....

Nita finished the conversation and hung up, her eyes wide. 

"He's kidding..."

Kit tossed her the manual.

"See for yourself."

Nita read and reread the power ratings and shook her head in awe.

"Holy crap...how old are they?"

"I dunno. He didn't tell me."

"Jeez...that tops Dairine's power pretty well..."

"Yeah..."

"You don't think..." Nita started.

"Neets, don't start. I _don't_ want to think about that now..."

"_Why_ not?" Nita demanded angrily, leaping to her feet. 

Dairine was suddenly in their midst, pushing them apart. "Whoa, you two. Kit, Nita's right. You're a wizard, dumbass. That's your job, to keep the Earth free of entropy. Nita, keep your temper down. You've been getting a bit...twitchy."

Nita sighed.

Dairine grinned evilly. "Now kiss and make up."

"Wha..._Dairine!!!_" Nita groaned.

Kit merely flushed and scuffed one shoe on the ground.

"C'mon," Dairine coaxed wickedly. "Just _one_ ten second..."

Nita groaned and leaned toward Kit's cheek.

"Nita, you _know_ what I mean."

The glare she shot Dairine would have thrown axes.

"I'm gonna crumple you into a little ball and use you as a softball..." she threatened. Dairine smiled sweetly and checked her watch. "C'mon, we don't have all day."

Nita reluctantly complied, and the kiss turned out to be much longer than ten seconds. When they finally broke apart, Dairine plopped onto the bed.

"Now, what's this about power ratings?"

Nita chucked the Manual at her, knocking her over backwards and producing some very creative swearwords.

"Sorry. See for yourself."

Muttering darkly, Dairine opened the manual and almost fell over again.

"_Holy_...and I thought _mine_ were high..."

"Yeah. That's what I said," Kit grinned from his perch on the easy chair arm.

"And so did Tom, Carl, Peach, and like eight other people. Darryl, Ronan, and that mad koi," Nita added.

Dairine shrugged. "Looks like they're up for a challenge. Twenty-seven point _eight_..."

"Let's go," Kit suggested.

"_Where_?" Dairine asked. "We don't know where the heck this is..."

"Ponch!" Kit called.

There was a loud thumping, and the dog came bounding into Kit's room, bowling over Dairine and slurping her face. 

"Down, Ponch, down!" she begged. "Okay, okay..."

Dairine wiped the dog spit off her face and grinned at Nita.

"Nita, your boyfriend's a genius..."

Nita flushed and muttered something.

Kit grinned. "Well, let's go. Hi ho, hi ho, to face the Lone One we go...."

He ducked a barrage of pillows, the last three which found their mark.

"Stop quoting Disney," Nita laughed.

"Alright then. Let's go!"

Nita took Kit's hand, and Dairine grabbed hers. A chain of people standing behind him, Ponch thought a moment, created the gate, and they stepped through. The worldgate closed, and they were in.

"Ponch?"

__

What is it, boss?

"Are you sure this is right?"

__

They're here...somewhere. I can feel them.

"Alright..."

The four figures were standing on a brightly lit city corner, looking out at a two-lane asphalt road, and at a grassy incline leading up to a rusty chain-link fence behind it. Slightly to their left, across the road that turned the corner, was a blank concrete wall, and then further along that wall, a road that led up and out of sight, back behind the chain-link fence. Behind them were three lit, fully stocked shops, though they were completely empty at the time. To their right, there was a two-way intersection: right or left. The visible fork was the left: it took a sharp turn and continued toward what looked like a tunnel before disappearing from view. It was oddly quiet, no cars, no subway, no pedestrians, dead silent except for the buzzing of the streetlamps and the occasional far-off police siren. Nita shook her head, glancing up and behind her at the flashing neon arrow that proclaimed in bright letters: PUB. Dairine glanced around her and didn't speak. Kit got the impression she was too confused to say much.

****

A/N: For any of you Need for Speed fans out there, I based this setting on one of them. No suing. Suing bad. I don't claim to own it.

"Are you _sure_?" he asked Ponch again.

__

Yeah, boss. They're here. Or somewhere that leads out of here.

"Doesn't seem like the place for an Ordeal."

"But Kit," Nita reminded him. "what about _our_ Ordeal? Took place in the city...or what I think was a city."

"Yeah, but it was all dark, and look at this..."

He was interrupted by a blindingly bright sphere of light drifting down from out of nowhere.

__

Pardon me, it said. _Have we met?_

Kit and Nita gaped. Dairine merely stared.

"F-f-_Fred_?"

__

I knew it! Christopher, Juanita, we meet again!

Despite his shock, Kit reflexively corrected "Kit and Nita."

__

Okay. Kit and Nita. It's me, everyone's favorite white hole.

Nita stammered, "B-but I th-thought you were dead!"

__

Well, you thought wrong. What're you doing here?

"Uh...oh, yeah. We're, uh, looking for an Iola Fraizer, a Kurt Thompson, and an Ethan Everett."

__

Rookies?

"Uh...yeah."

__

Thought so. I can sense them, but where they are, I've no clue.

Kit was about to question further when a roar of machinery cut him off. From the right fork of the street leapt a figure, slung low to the ground and a very dark brown. The vehicle smoked its tires and rolled in a businesslike manner up to Kit's side. Nita and Kits' jaws dropped simultaneously. 

"_It's the Lotus_," Nita whispered.

Kit reached a tentative hand out and patted the brown fiberglass shell. The Lotus' V-8 purred contentedly, and its headlights popped up and glanced up toward Kit and Nita. It flicked its doors open and invited them into its compact interior. Kit glanced toward Dairine and Ponch, and the Lotus seemed to frown. It flipped its two front seats up and forward, revealing a tight rear bench. Kit grinned and let Fred, Dairine, and Ponch into the backseat. The seats flipped backward, and Nita slid into the passenger seat, letting Kit take the driver's seat. The doors slammed, and the Lotus burned rubber up and around the corner. 

Kit glanced at the speedometer, which was currently reading about 40 miles an hour. 

"Why're we going so slow?" he wondered aloud. 

Nita shrugged. "Don't look at me."

He glanced around the outside of the car, and he was answered as the Lotus came up on a car, illuminated by a flickering streetlamp. Kit gaped.

"_No way_..."

The Lotus rolled to a stop and Kit hopped out of the car at its bidding, followed by Nita. She snickered.

"Looks almost like a bug," she grinned

Kit ignored her and stared.

The car was unmistakably a Lotus as well, but looked nothing like the Esprit's wedge-shaped, streamlined body. Instead, it was tiny, and had more flowing curves than sharp, angular creases. And indeed, the front of the car looked very similar to some behemoth insect, large, almond-shaped headlights, placed at an angle so one end was pointing off the side of the car, flanking two smaller but nearly identical turn signals.

"It's an _Elise..._"

The Esprit beeped three times, and the Elise seemed to wake up. Its headlights flicked on, and it shook itself slightly. It rolled toward Kit and Nita and seemed to look them over. Its grille curved into a vehicular grin, and it popped the doors open. Kit offered Nita the driver's seat, but she refused pointedly.

"Kit, I may be older than you, but you know more about cars than me."

Kit shrugged and slid into the car. Nita hopped inside, and the Lotuses burned rubber uphill. Kit watched in awe as the speedometer climbed to sixty in less than 5 seconds, passed it, and hit 100 in about 12 seconds. 

"Dang...this thing can _move..._" he murmured. Nita chuckled nervously, leaning over to look at the speedometer. "And I thought _Dad _drove fast..." She slipped and knocked Kit over, knocking his head on the right window. He massaged his head and grinned at Nita, who was blushing as she sat back up, rubbing her shoulder, which had hit the stick shift. Kit almost burst out laughing at the look on Nita's face, and, barely remembering to shield his thoughts from his partner, thought quietly, _She looks really cute like this..._

The Elise's tires squealed as it suddenly veered to the right. Kit's head smacked the window again, and Nita avoided the shifter this time as it clicked into fourth, then straight into sixth, flooring the hammer. A Volkswagen Golf skidded out in front of them, its headlights creased in an a permanent leer as they picked out the two Lotuses, then the Golf charged. The Elise purposely T-boned it, and the VW lost its grip and flipped onto its roof, sending up a shower of sparks. The Elise accelerated, shoving the Golf in front of it, and let it slide into a Lincoln Town Car lurking in an alley. There were suddenly cars and trucks everywhere, lights leering out at them from alleys as they pulled out and floored their accelerators. A Chevy Corvette pulled up alongside the Elise, intent on slamming into the side of it. Instead, the Lotus braked suddenly and veered towards the Vette, clipping its rear bumper hard. The rear wheels lost traction and spun helplessly as the Corvette went into a spin. It collided with a wall and sat there, motionless, the fiberglass body literally ripped apart. A Crown Victoria was unlucky enough to be rear-ended by the Elise, puncturing the gas tank. As the car skidded, it sent up a shower of sparks from the dragging metal. The Elise frantically floored the gas, and it leapt forward as the Crown Vic exploded in a ball of fire, charring a Chevy Caprice and popping the tires of a New Beetle, which showered more sparks and collided with a Town Car Limousine, which also spun. Behind the two Lotuses, pandemonium broke loose as cars collided and exploded, SUVs flipped and rolled, and a Firebird took awkward flight before coming crashing down in a raging fireball. The Lotuses, as one, swung around a corner and hit a jump. Nita gritted her teeth and braced herself, as Kit noticed with awe they were leaping over a barricade of Mustangs, most of which broke free and stopped running as the Lotuses came crashing down on them, followed by a few pickups, and, to the Mustangs' horror, a pair of huge Mack trucks and trailers. The trucks plowed through the Mustangs and, smashing them flat, flipped because of the one Mustang that resisted crushing, flipping one truck onto the other. The pickups, regardless of the wrecks behind them, kept coming. The Lotuses slowed, and as the trucks veered to sandwich them, darted out of the way. The trucks collided, and one, a Ford Ranger, flipped, landed on its wheels, and somehow managed to keep coming. The Lotuses cruelly taunted it, accelerating just out of its reach, until, murder gleaming in its shattered headlights, the truck accelerated to reach 102 miles an hour, playing straight into the Lotuses' hands. They turned into sharp left corner late, and the Ranger, with its steering damaged, had no time to correct.

__

Bam. The building shook with the impact, and Kit looked out the back window. The Ranger's hood and grille had accordioned back into the firewall, which had not held. The truck, therefore, looked like two wrecking balls had just smacked it simultaneously. Kit winced, then sucked his breath in. At least fourteen Crown Victoria and Caprice Police Interceptors had just skidded around the corner, sirens on, lights flashing. Nita groaned. "And I thought cops were your _friend_..."

Bumping and jostling, the pack gained on the Lotuses, which somehow seemed to be slowing down. Kit moaned. "No, no, no..."

A Crown Victoria pulled away from the pack and went to the outside of the Elise as they rounded a turn. The Elise seemed to grin as it swerved toward the cop car, which panicked and veered away from the Lotus, wrapping itself around a streetlamp. A Caprice, infuriated by this, rearended the Elise, which fought for control, and nearly lost it. Four seconds later, the Caprice found itself leaking oil onto the blacktop, as the Esprit smacked it into a pole like a toy. Sirens wailing, engines roaring, and lights flashing, the pursuers and the pursued swept past the 150 mph barrier. Kit was panicking.

"Holy crap...I never realized Crown Vics could go this fast! We're doing 158, and they're staying with us..."

Nita was a bit less worried.

"Kit, you said this thing has among the best handling on the planet. It shouldn't be too hard to outrun these guys..."

__

Wham.

"I take that back."

The Elise, its trunk now dented in, screamed outrage it the injury it had sustained. The turbocharged Toyota inline-four roared as revs hit maximum and the Lotus sprang ahead, tires managing to spin even at close to 160 mph. The speedometer climbed past 170...180...190...

"Two hundred..." Nita moaned.

It passed two hundred and strained. The engine was maxed out, revs were way over the red, and the speedometer needle was vibrating between 203 and 204. But even past 200, the Lotus was nimble and quick. It dodged an attacking Caprice, and by some miracle of technology, dodged behind a lightpost. The three Crown Vics and a Caprice following never had a chance. Brakelights came on, tires squealed, and the lightpost shuddered under the onslaught of six tons of steel and fiberglass that crashed into it at close to 210 miles an hour. The Elise dived back onto the road, Kit white, Nita clutching her necklace and breathing hard. 

"_Damn_," was all she could choke out. _"Damn"_

Kit just shook his head.

The sole Crown Vic remaining was outraged. Its fellow compaions had been killed, and it only had one choice left. The CB radio mike lifted and broadcast: _This is unit 228, requesting backup. I'm near Mike's Pub, in pursuit of two cars, a brown Lotus Esprit plate 220BE3 and a Lotus Elise plate 453HGK2. Both are doing well over one hundred, have broken two hundred. Code four._

Here was a silence, then, _Roger, 228. Sending backup._

Thanks. Ten-four.

The Crown Vic's grille curved upward in a chromy grin, and it continued the chase. 

The Epsrit dodged the Crown Vic's relentless onslaught, swerving and veering as the Interceptor wove to and fro, trying to catch the Lotus off guard. The Crown Vic couldn't keep it up, and settled back behind the racer, nudging its rear bumper, trying to spin it. The Esprit skidded, regained control, and somehow clipped the nose of the Crown Vic. With a squeal of both tires and terror, the Crown Vic lost traction on its smooth slicks and, wheels spinning and smoking helplessly, skidded into the corner of a building.

Everyone instantly relaxed. Nita and Kit looked at each other in relief, and Dairine's face regained its color. Nita slapped Kit's hand and glanced out the window in the rearview mirror. What she saw did not comfort her.

"_Kit_..."

Kit turned, and his jaw dropped as he caught a glimpse of what Nita had seen. He let out a stream of swearwords that would have put Dairine's earlier outburst to shame as he saw the squad of FAVs and army vehicles bearing down on them.

A/N: For all those who aren't as obsessed with cars as me, yes, the Lotus Elise is a _real_ car. Do a Google search on it. 


	6. Outrun

Chapter 6.

__

Outrun.

A/N: There's more K/N coming up...but let me finish the car chase...I have this obsession with cars. Can you tell? And, again, no, I _don't_ claim to own anything except the plot.

Kit wasted no time. Out of pure reflex, he smashed the gas pedal flat on the floor, making the engine hit top revs. The Lotus shifted into first, and the car leapt forward, spraying water behind its wheels as they spun, then bit and catapulted the Elise up to 60 miles an hour. The Esprit whined protest and sprang up alongside its brother, matching its speed as the FAVs behind them opened fire. A bullet hit the right taillight of the Esprit, shattering it and almost puncturing the gas tank. The car screamed defiance and accelerated, weaving to and fro to dodge the bullets. The Elise squeezed through a six-foot gap between a lightpole and a shop, but the FAV tailing it was not so lucky. It miscalculated its entry angle and, panicking, recorrecting too much. The front of the FAV rammed into the pole at 90 miles an hour. Needless to say, the result was not pretty. 

The Elise and the Esprit were like two wraiths, dodging bullets, trees, and traffic as the cars shot through a busy intersection. Tires screeched as the Elise veered sharply down a narrow sidestreet, followed by the Esprit. The FAV pursuing them realized too late where they had gone, and, braking and trying to turn at the same time, let the rear slide out from under it and collide with the building corner. The Elise braked in front of a large aluminum garage door, and, turning to face the door, rammed it, punching a hole in it. The Esprit trailed behind, damage apparent even in the dim light inside the old warehouse. Kit gaped, but not at the damage done to both cars .

Row after row of shining cars were idling in the huge warehouse, ranging from the oldest Model T Ford to the newest Saleen S7 supercar. The Lotuses opened their doors, and Dairine instantly pointed to a smal dune buggy with a machine gun mounted on top. The car rolled toward her, and she grinned at Kit.

"What's this?"

kit looked at the car closely.

"Uhh...Chenowth DR-2 Desert Attack Vehicle."

Dairine grinned even more widely and nodded.

"Yup."

She turned to the Esprit.

"Is this okay?"

The Lotus smiled and shrugged its wheels. 

Dairine blinked. "We'll take it."

Twenty minutes ater, Kit was pacing among the rows of cars, trying to decide. 

"Hey, Nita?" he asked for the umpteenth time.

"Kit?" she responded wearily.

"What do you think? Nazca C2, VW New Beetle, or Chenowth DR2 Upgrade?"

"Kit, you want my honest opinion?"

"What?"

"I couldn't care less."

Kit sighed. 

"Oh, fine. I'll tell you. A car with two seats, one that's fast."

Kit frowned. He was about to pass comment when a yellow car rolled forward, its engine purring.

He blinked curiously at the car. "Hmm. An Italdesign...Cála?"

Nita lost her temper. "Alright, Kit. It's good. _Now take it_."

The Cala's doors opened, and Nita pushed the protesting Kit inside.

"Shut _up_, Kit."

The car's sound system flicked on, and rock blared out of the speakers. The Cala revved its engine alongside the Chenowth, then, with two lower revs, both vehicles smoked their tires as they accelerated for the garage door. Shooting through the gaping hole in the door, both vehicles turned left and raced back down the alley. Bullets flew behind them, coming from a small group of FAVs staked out behind the Dumpsters at the mouth of the alley. The DR-2's turret spun around, spraying rounds at the Dumpsters. There was an explosion as hot lead came into contact with something chemical. The heat rocked the narrow alley, and both vehicles floored the gas, bouncing over trash and newspapers, spraying loose gravel behind their wheels. An FAV came roaring out of the blaze, its frame and cage warped and twisted, but infinitely more dangerous. Twisted metal spikes protruded from the front of the malformed vehicle, and what was left of the gun turret was now spraying molten lead. One of the front gas cylinders gave out and left the FAV bouncing and rocking as it moved, but it kept coming. The Cala's V-10 hit maximum revs, and could go no further as the speedometer stopped at 193 mph, the tach at 7.5. Kit watched in horror as the FAV drew closer and closer, rocking madly and almost coming off the ground as its warped frame and wheels pitched it back and forth. The gun turret on the Chenowth fired round after round at the FAV, the bullets hit the ground harmlessly. The FAV was now edging up on the rear bumper of the Cala, which was straining hard to get past the 200 mark as the engine started to max itself out. The tach needle hit redline- 9.2...9.8...10.0. The Cala strained madly at the 198 mark, but to no avail. The FAV's spikes pierced the rear bumper, and the Cala screamed in outrage. Wich a sharp, violent movement, the yellow racer took a hard 180 degree U-Turn at 198 miles an hour. Kit's head whacked against the glass and he was stunned momentarily. Nita's head glanced off Kit's shoulder, and, dazed, she sat back to regain her senses. The FAV, on the other hand, was not so lucky. It was slung off the bumper by the momentum of its own chassis and now lay in a crumpled heap at the base of a thick elm tree. Kit winced. The Cala shook itself and joined the Chenowth as it sped by. Nita merely looked on with horror as she saw what was now pursuing them. 

"Kit..."

He held up a hand.

"I'm not looking."

Nita didn't answer, and Kit looked.

A huge Peterbilt big rig was bearing down on the racing vehicles with a speed Kit had never dreamed a semi truck could reach. 

Kit buried his face between his face, muttering, "Nita, tell me this is a dream. A really, really weird, really really bad dream."

Nita hurriedly touched a charm on her bracelet, saying the syllable that would place an advanced proton accelerator into her hands. Nothing happened. Nita's eyes widened, and she tried her next charm, a ion particle diffuser. Nothing. She swore and slammed her head down on the dashboard. 

"Crap, Kit, we're doomed."

Kit was frantic.

"Why won't it work?"

"I don't know, Kit! Why're you asking _me_?"

"Because I know I can trust you!"

"Well, I don't know! So shut up and let me think!"

"Nita, we're in this together!"

"You think I don't know that? I'm trying to think here!"

"So think!"

"I can't, not with you going on like this!"

"Nita, you know what? You're being a real a..."

"I don't give a damn, Kit. I really don't. Now shut the hell up."

Kit's face set. He resisted the urge to shove Nita out the door of the car and furiously slammed the shifter into overdrive. The Cala whined and hit 202. Kit groaned. That's when the semi came up behind them.

Belching smoke to the immediate world, the huge Peterbilt was gaining on the Cala, diesel engine roaring and vibrating like a mechanical earthquake. Nita had tears of frustration and anger running down her face as she struggled to find the problem with the spell. Kit was desperately trying to activate the overdrive system. That left Dairine and the DR-2.

Dairine had absolutely no idea what to do. Her sister and her friend were fighting while a 3-ton semi barreled up behind them, and the Chenowth's machine gun was doing little damage to the huge truck. She ran her hand over the sparse dashboard and saw something that lifted her hopes.

It was a small red button labeled _Switch_.

Seeing that button somehow gave her hope. She pressed it, noting that the black box under the machine gun wasn't the motor. There was a mechanical whirring, and the machine gun disappeared, and in its place was an M-4 rocket launcher.

Dairine grinned as she saw a rocket leave the launcher and snake toward the semi, leaving a smoke trail as it went. The semi braked and tried to turn down an alley, but the rocket was too fast. The Peterbilt exploded in a huge ball of fire, the parts showering down over the Chenowth and Cala as both cars veered to avoid a Dumpster and mounted the grass. The Chenowth, being built for such terrain, bounced over the grass and dirt with ease, but the Cala, a sports car bred and born, had a hard time, but still managed to keep up. Without warning, the cars mounted a steep incline, tires spinning, and then the grass leveled out. Both vehicles soared up and into the air, wheels spinning and engines roaring. They came down hard, but not just the landing was unusual, as the vehicles bounced back up, but it was _where_ they landed that was unusual.

A/N: Again, the Chenowth DR-2 is a REAL car. Desert Attack Vehicle. Google search if you want to learn more.


	7. Hello?

__

Chapter7

Hello?

Showering sparks as the chassis hit the ground, the Cala skidded and showered the Chenowth with gravel as the Toyo tires spun on the loose gravel of the lot. Dairine looked around at the evening sky, the modern buildings, and the shimmering ocean to their left. "Spot? Location check."

__

"Searching...San Diego Bay, California."

"_What? _Error, surely?"

__

"Nope. San Diego."

Kit shook his head. "This sure isn't San Diego as I remember it. Where _is _everyone?"

"_Kit..._"

"Fine...what d'you need?"

"You to shut up."

Kit stared at her, then bit his lip to keep from blowing up and turned away, shaking his head. 

"_Thank you_," Nita hissed exasperatedly, and, feeling more than a bit stupid and very guilty, got Dairine's attention mentally. 

__

Are they here?

Dairine slapped herself in the forehead at that and muttered, "Spot. Run query on the three rookies."

__

Searching...Error. Syntax error in Module 12932-47a caused an invalid fault in Module 63905-739h. This program will terminate in 5...4...3...2...1...Terminating... Program Terminated. Shutting down...

"Reboot." Dairine groaned.

There was a mechanical whirring as Spot slowly rebooted, ran a systems check, and confirmed its entry into the OS. 

__

Nope, Dairine shot back. _Got a syntax prob._

__

Fine. Nita thought. _I gotta deal with Kit right now._

She turned to her longtime partner and boyfriend and touched his arm gently.

"Kit, I..."

He didn't answer.

"I'm sorry."

Still no answer.

"Kit, really! I'm sorry, I mean it! If you can't accept that, fine. Consi..." She broke off in midsentence, struck by the weight of what she'd been ready to say. 

Kit sighed.

"Look, Nita, I don..."

He cut himself off, buried his face in his hands, and didn't say anything more. They sat in silence for a while, Nita listening to the muted buzz of his thoughts, Kit thinking fast and hard. The silence stretched on into well over awkwardness, then well over into boredom. Nita stared blankly out the window of the idling car, and Kit was gazing at the toe of his sneaker. The silence went on until Kit broke it.

"So exactly where are these kids we're after?"

"I don't know," Nita groaned. "Spot had a syntax error. We couldn't find anything."

"Mmm."

And so another long silence began. 

"Kit?"

"'Sup?"

"Would you ever hate me?"

He turned and gazed at her.

"Why?"

"Answer the question, Kit."

"I might hate the things you _do_, but, you...? No."

Nita seemed rather shamefaced as she smiled weakly.

"Oh."

There was another long silence, broken only as the Cala started to move. 

The V-8 held a steady pitch as the Cala turned a corner and, slowing to a stop, unlocked the doors. Nita and Kit got out in silence, shivering in the surprisingly cold weather. Kit rubbed his arms, trying to quell the goosebumps running up and down them. Nita shivered, suddenly wishing she'd brought a jacket. The Cala's engine revved as it moved forward, letting the Chenowth move in behind it. The DR-2 let Dairine and Co. out, and together, they gazed at the huge monolithic slab of black jet standing in the middle of what should have been Sea World. The Cala and Chenowth backed away, and Fred bobbed up, coming to rest on Nita's shoulder. She jumped as her shirt started to smoke and, slapping the flames out, rubbed the burnt spot on her arm.

"_Fred!_" she groaned in exasperation.

__

Sorry.

Dairine held back a snicker as Nita cast a doleful eye at Kit, who was going red from restraining his laughter. Nita stared at both of them.

"What is the _matter_ with you two?"

Kit opened his mouth to speak, but instead doubled over with laughter. Dairine, spurred by this, couldn't restrain her laughs anymore, and also burst out laughing. Nita stood in bewilderment as Kit choked out, "Your face…your expression…it was so funny…"

Nita shook her head and stared at the slab of jet. 

"What are we gonna do 'bout this?" she wondered aloud.

She rapped on it with her knuckles as Kit stopped laughing, muttering something in the Speech. She tapped it twice. Nothing. 

"Oookay…" she muttered. "Next tactic…"

She touched one of her charms on her bracelet, whispering the syllable that would place a Moving Device into her hand. Essentially developed for moving large, heavy items, such as one's alien pet, it would, Nita hoped, move the jet slab with ease. She took aim with the finder and pressed the trigger. A wave of sonic waves shot toward the monolith, struck it, and rebounded. Kit and Dairine ducked as the spell shot over their heads and out over the ocean. Kit moved forward, pressed his palm against the side of the jet slab, and pushed. The slab moved with ease, almost as if it were on wheels. Nita gaped. "How'd you do that?"

Kit shrugged. "Simple, my dear Watson…" He ducked a playful blow from Nita and continued. "The slab is simply made to rebound any magical spell to give it the appearance of true jet, while the whole time, it's a huge thing of a polycarbonate material."

He dodged another hit from Nita, but received a nod from Dairine.

"Really…" she muttered.

"Shut up, both of you," Nita muttered. "I haven't been paying attention in science, don't do this…"

"Too late, Neets. It's already done."

__

Bam. Nita's hand caught the side of Kit's face, not too hard, but hard enough to know she was annoyed. Dairine grinned.

"Oooh, a love tap…"

"DAIRINE!"

"Alright, alright…"

Kit was now more interested in the hole the slab had been covering. It was narrow, small enough for a slim person to fit through, but not big enough for anything else. Nita glanced down it, trying to visually plumb the depth, striving to see the bottom. 

"Uhh, Kit, I don't know about thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii…!"

She trailed off in a scream as Kit grabbed her arm and pulled her into the chute with him. They plunged down…down…down…

Dairine and Ponch leapt down next, Fred flitting in front of them like a demented firefly. The shaft seemed to go down for miles, meter after meter of unending terror and blackness, until, finally, a faint light appeared at the end of the Steel Slide of Doom. The light grew steadily brighter and brighter, lighting up the tunnel like Fred had gone mad. Dairine, sensing All Was Not Going to End Well, tried desperately to slow herself, but it was too late. The tunnel launched her out onto the ground, sending her tumbling head over heels and onto her face in a very undignified landing. As she stood, Ponch, yipping and yelping like there was no tomorrow, came flying out and knocked her down again. Dairine gently pushed Ponch off and stood, singing her hair as Fred didn't dodge in time. Brushing the soot out of her hair, she glanced around, being very casual about straightening her hair out and dusting her shirt off. And as she glanced around, she realized something.

__

Hey, where're Kit and Nita? she thought.

Shrugging it off for the time being, she finished dusting herself off and leaned against a boulder. Then, it hit her.

"Nita?!" she called. "Hey, Kit?!"

Hoo boy. 


	8. Meetings of the Wierd Kind

__

Chapter 8

Meetings of the Weird Kind

"Oookay…" Dairine groaned. "They aren't answering me…"

In the past 3 minutes, she'd attempted to contact Nita and Kit eight times to no avail. She stroked Ponch's silky head and sighed. "Where _are _they?" she wondered aloud. She had no idea how close they were.

__

Somewhere not more than three hundred feet away

Nita looked at Kit. "Okay, genius. Where's my sister?"

Kit's temper flared. "How'm I supposed to know? She came down _after _us!"

Nita glared daggers at him. "Alright, alright. _Sorry_…I was _just wondering_."

They glared at each other for a minute, then Kit let out a noise of dissent and angrily whipped out his manual. He flipped to an empty page and tapped it with a finger. 

"Alright. Write. To Dairine Callahan. Where are you? We can't find you anywhere!"

__

Send?

"Yeah."

__

Subject is out of ambit.

"_Aaaughhh_…"

Nita rolled her eyes behind his back and messaged her sister silently.

__

Dari? Hey, Dari? Seriously, this isn't funny.

Nothing.

Nita sighed and looked at the ground.

"Neets?"

"What?"

"I'm sorry. I…guess I got a bit too stressed out."

Nita looked at him.

"No problem. You know, we're doing this on, like, an hourly basis."

"Yeah."

They stood in silence until a voice from behind them scared them both half to death.

"Hello?"

In perfect choreography, both of them gasped and whirled.

The boy who'd addressed them shrank back a bit, startled by their sudden reaction. He looked about Kit's age, maybe younger, blond hair, green eyes, the kind of kid you'd expect to find surfing off of Huntington Beach. 

"Uh…hi." he gulped. "Who're you?"

Taken aback, Nita stammered something not even Kit could make out. So he took over.

"Uh…we're on errantry, and we greet you. I'm Kit Rodriguez, and my partner here's Nita Callahan."

"I-I'm Ethan. Ethan Smithinton."

Kit frowned. The name seemed oddly familiar…

"Are you new to this?"

"Uhh…yeah."

"How new?"

"Umm…I took the Oath yesterday…if that's what you mean."

"Ah. Are you working with anyone?"

"Not that I know of…"

"Uh-huh. Okay… we'll work this out. Where were you going?"

"Uh…I was actually running. I was just out that way…" he indicated a place some distance away.

"…walking. Where, I don't know. But then, I kinda _sensed_ something…uh…following me. So I just broke and ran."

Nita and Kit exchanged glances. Nita sighed.

"Oh joy."

Dairine stared out ahead of her into space. Where were Nita and Kit when you needed them? She wrapped her arms around her knees, trying to stay warm as the temperature, Spot was reading, steadily dropped. She buried her face in her knees and thought fiercely, _Dairine! You don't need them. You've survived out on your own before!_

But then another part of her mind argued back.

__

Yeah, but then she went through hell.

Well, that's life!

No it's not. Life was not meant to be torture.

But the-

"'scuse me?"

Dairine jumped up and whirled. A girl about her own age blinked back at her. Dairine stared at her. Definitely not a New York person. She spoke with the accent of a Californian.

"H'llo. Who're you?"

"Uh…Dairine Callahan. I'm on errantry, and I greet you…"

"Iola Frazier."

Iola…

"Hold up one minute. Aren't you that…wait…are you new to this whole thing?"

"Yeah. Well, sort of. My older sister's a wizard, and, well, I guess it got passed on to me. I've seen her do all this stuff, so…I guess I have a bit of experience."

"I kinda meant when you took the Oath."

"Oh, the Oath. Uhh…three days ago? Yeah. Three days ago."

"Uh-huh. Right. So…where'd you come from?"

"I've been here for a bit. Heard you trying to contact someone…just to let you know, that doesn't work here."

"Why?"

"Can't you feel it? There's so many protection spells up, you can't even transport here."

"Dang…"

"Yeah. And, if I'm not mistaken, you've been a wizard much longer than I have. Is it normal to hear two peoples' voices and be instantly able to tell where they are?"

"Well, every wizard has their talent. I would think that's yours."

Dairine scuffed her shoe on the ground three times before that finally hit her.

"Whoa. Did you say you could pinpoint their location?"

"Well, I…yeah."

"Could you find my sis? She's with her friend, he's a boy…"

"Oh, that's easy. C'mon…"

A few minutes later, Nita looked up from her conversation with Ethan and sneezed. When the dust subsided and everyone stopped coughing and sneezing, Nita was able to discern three figures and a ball of light coming around the huge stone outcropping that had separated them for a half hour.

"Dairine!" she shouted in relief. "Ponch! Fred!"

Ponch bounded over and knocked both Kit and Nita over, slurping their faces. Dairine and Iola shook hands with everyone, and everything seemed to be fine. Until…

"Oh, a reunion of friends…" a taunting voice rang out. (Guess who?)

A/N: I know it was short. But it served its purpose. 


	9. Charles Darwin: Revisited

__

Chapter 9

Charles Darwin: Revisited

Nita sighed. 

"Here we go again…"

Kit smiled wryly.

"Bring it on…"

The Lone One shifted into his normal form from a rock on the ground. He stood slightly above eye level for Kit now, thanks to Kit's growth spurt at the beginning of May. Even so, he acted like he was the king of everything instead of some Power that had to go and _invent_ entropy, crime, and death…

"Nita, Christopher," he chuckled. "How quaint. And _you_ two…" the Lone One glowered at Iola and Ethan. "I have disposed of others more powerful than you…"

Nita rolled her eyes behind the Lone One's back.

"…and ones weaker than you…"

Kit checked his watch.

"…colonies, cities, planets, even whole _galaxies_…"

Ponch yawned and scratched a flea.

"…oceans have boiled and steamed, suns have dimmed and died…"

Dairine drummed her fingers on her arm.

"…inanimate objects have been seemingly possessed by an evil spirit, stealing and harming…"

Kit blew out a long breath and stretched his arm.

"…I have killed off entire populations by contaminating their food, scalding their drinking water…"

Dairine's head drooped and she started to snore gently.

"…I have brought about entropy, pain, and death…"

Everyone lost their temper at that. As one, everyone present capable of speech (sans the Lone One) yelled:

"SHUTTUP AND GET ON WITH IT!"  
The Lone One glared at them. "You shall pay…"

"Yeah, fine. NOW GET A MOVE ON!"

The Lone One rolled his eyes and threw a Dislocator at Iola. She dodged and reflected it, shooting it right back at its originator. The Lone One ducked and it narrowly missed him. That was before Ethan blew him out of the water with a ion diffuser. As he watched the Lone One perform a mad dance to tear off his burning cloak, Ethan tossed the diffuser back to Nita. "Thanks."

"No prob." She replied, slipping the weapon to Kit. 

Or where Kit once was. He was gone now, as well as Ponch, Dairine, and Fred. Nita glanced around, then heard a voice in her head.

"_Nita! What the hell are you doing? You're not supposed to interfere with these guys' Ordeal! Get back here NOW!"_

It was Carl, and he didn't seem too happy. Nita felt a sudden flying sensation, and landed, on her feet, back in Carl's living room.

"Oh, crap…" Nita muttered.

A/N: Even Shorter!


	10. The Talk

__

Chapter 10

The Talk

"DO YOU REALIZE WHAT THE HELL YOU WERE INTERFERING WITH? DO YOU?" Carl bellowed, face cherry red. Tom covered his eyes with one hand and shook his head. Nita didn't look up from her shoes. 

"I WANT AN ANSWER!"

Nita, her eyes full of rebelliousness, looked up and stared him in the eye.

"No."

Dairine winced and plugged her ears.

"YOU WERE INTERFERING WITH THREE OTHER ABDALS' ORDEALS! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT COULD DO?"

Nita stared at him again.

"Yes."

"APPARENTLEY YOU DON'T! NOW THAT YOU'VE INTERFERED, WE'VE GOT MORE TROUBLE ON OUR HANDS! HE'S GOING TO COME AFTER YOU IF HE GETS HALF A CHANCE!"

Nita's face set. "I had no idea. If I did, do you think I would have done that?"

Dairine went white, and Kit squeezed his eyes shut and bit his lip.

Carl went straight through the roof.

"NITA! NEVER, IN ALL MY YEARS, HAVE I MET A WIZARD AS ABYSMALLY FOOLHADRY AS YOU, AS FOOLISH AS YOU, AS _STUPID_ AS YOU!"

He glared at her.

"Sometimes, Nita," he said icily.

"Sometimes I wonder if you deserve to be a wizard."

Tom's jaw dropped. A shocked silence reigned. No one moved a muscle until Tom seized Carl by the back of the collar and dragged him out of the living room. Nita stared after them, steely-eyed, face set and rigid. Kit, sensing something coming, slowly came down the stairs and stopped by his best friend. He put a gentle hand on her shoulder, but she wrenched forcefully away. She stood abruptly, then, seizing her windbreaker, dashed out the door. Dairine sighed. 

"Hoo boy. I'm at your place tonight, Kit."

"Huh?" Kit asked, staring after Nita.

"Oh, never mind. Just go."

Kit sighed. "C'mon, Ponch."

The black dog bounded down from the stairs and followed Kit out the door.

Nita had never been so angry, so upset in her entire life. In a rage, half-blinded by hot tears, she ran as hard as she could. Her heart pounded in her chest, every beat of it reminding her of Carl's words. _…as foolhardy as you…as stupid as you…don't deserve to be a wizard…_

"NO!" 

The cry was ripped from her throat, an inhuman cry of rage and of pain as she raced toward her house. She slammed into the door, panting, sobbing, and, with a great deal of effort, unlocked the door and slammed it behind her, dashing up to her room. She leapt onto her bed, burying her face in her pillow, trying hard not to let any more tears leak out. She lifted her face for a second, then saw a small brown teddy bear that had been her favorite stuffed animal. She lifted it from its position- wedged between the bed and the wall, and hugged it tightly. With that one bear clasped to her heart, something inside of her snapped. Tears poured down her face as she clutched the bear and sobbed into its furry brown head brokenheartedly. A gentle knock on the door sounded. Nita lifted her face.

"C-come in."

Kit poked his head in, grimaced slightly, then paced over and sat down beside her. She sniffed loudly, then buried her face in the bear again. Kit touched her arm, and she looked up at him.

"Wh-what?" she asked, her voice shaking horribly.

He sighed.

"Nita…hey, Nita. Look at me."

He lifted her chin so she was looking straight into his eyes.

"I swear, you got the worst of it from Carl. Seriously. Dairine almost started crying at what she was given. So don't feel bad. I'd probably be crying, too, if I got what you got."

Nita made an attempt at a smile.

"I-it's okay, K-kit. I'm f-fine."

She wiped her eyes, sniffed again, and looked up, startled, as another knock sounded on the door.

"Come in."

Tom walked over to Nita and, giving a slight grin to Kit, knelt before her.

"Hey, Nita. Look, Carl and I had a long talk, and when I say long, I mean _loooooooooong._ Anyways, _I _decided it was good time for you and Kit to take a vacation. So, where to?"

Nita looked at Kit.

"Somewhere warmer than _here_. Uh…California?"

Tom grinned.

"You guys' kind of place. Alright. You're free in California for however long you want…as long as it's not over a year and a half. Or after summer break ends, for that matter," he chuckled, looking at Kit's face. Kit rolled his eyes.

"Spoilsport…" he grinned.

Tom pushed him over, making Nita laugh. He smiled.

"Well, get going! Get outta here. Expenses paid. You guys are 16, right?"

Both Kit and Nita nodded.

"Okay. Uh, you guys have enough money on your cards to buy a couple of good hotels…so don't waste it. It has to last you a while."

Nita seemed kind of disappointed.

"What about Dairine?" 

"Oh, she's going. She's going with Ethan."

"Ethan?" Kit asked. "You mean…"

"Yeah. Apparently, she's known him before."

"Huh," Nita muttered. "From where?"

Tom grinned. "Anyway, you're covered. So get going! Take some luggage, so no one gets suspicious."

Nita smiled. "Will do. Thanks, Tom."

Tom nodded and, standing, went to the door. Before he left, though, he turned and addressed both of them. 

"You'd do well to get to know each other on this trip. Love does funny things to stress."

With that, he was gone.


	11. California Here We Come

__

Chapter 11

California, Here We Come!

Nita finished tying her hair back in a ponytail, then grabbed her wetsuit she'd bought last month and tossed it into her open claudication. She grinned at Dairine, who was hunting for her flashlight.

"You _knew_ him, huh?"

Dairine nodded.

"Yeah. Remember, we were in the same preschool class?"

"No."

Dairine rolled her eyes.

"Well, we were."

"And he doesn't appeal to you?"

Dairine blushed.

"He's cute. That doesn't mean _anything_."

Nita raised an eyebrow.

"Uh-huh. Riiiight. So, squirt, where're you going?"

"San Diego for a while. Then maybe to SF," Dairine sighed.

"Ah. Well, then, see you in two months." 

"And," Nita added, "Don't get married while I'm gone."

She dodged the shoe Dairine hurled at her, grinned, and was gone.

Kit met her in her backyard ten minutes later.

"You ready?"

"Oh yeah. You found the hotel, made reservations?"

"Yeah. It's all good."

"Okay. Well then, let's go. It's almost two o'clock. I scheduled the hotel reservations to be made in a few minutes."

Kit touched his necklace, dropped a transit spell, and traced the new coordinates in.

"Uhh…24.5…then 4.5…1.4…okay. Gimme your hand."

Nita clasped his hand tightly.

"One…two…_three_!"

Kit said the syllable, there was a loud _crack_, and they were gone.

A/N: It's a little introductory chapter. So be patient.


	12. The Golden City

__

Chapter 12

The Golden City

Fog enveloped much of San Francisco, swirling around the buildings, hiding the tops of the numerous bridges and skyscrapers from view. It was lucky for two figures that the fog _was _there, as they appeared with a loud _bang_ on the top of their hotel. Kit clapped a hand over his eyes.

"Oh, god…"

Nita struggled hard not to laugh.

"Aye-yi-yi, Kit," she laughed. "Well, at least we're not swimming right now, or skydiving, for that matter."

Kit rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Sorry…working on it…"

He brought up the transport spell and altered a few syllables. Dropping it again, he offered up a brief prayer before grabbing Nita's hand and stepping on the circle.

This time, they managed to elegantly make their way to the front of the building- from a parking garage a mile away. Nita, clearly amused, told Kit as they walked, "Last time I let _you _do any spells…"

Kit gave her a light cuff on the back of the head, which Nita returned with gusto. 

They didn't stop their little feud until they entered the hotel.

"Hi."

"Name please?"

"Christopher Rodriguez."

"Uh-huh. May I see your ID?"

Kit, having recently gotten his driver's license, almost beamed as he flipped his wallet open. When the receptionist was satisfied, he scanned Kit's MasterCard and tossed him the card keys.

"Nonsmoking, twin-bed Room 504. First number corresponds to the floor, so, fifth floor. Elevators are that way," he continued, pointing to Kit's right. Kit thanked the receptionist and dragged Nita up to their room. Nita plucked one of the keys out of Kit's pocket and opened their door. The moment the door closed behind them, their bags went down, their conversations skyrocketed.

"So, where to?" Kit inquired.

"I dunno, Kit. There's so much to do here… what time is it?"

Kit pointed to the digital clock on the dresser. 3:15. 

"Oh. Um, Give me a minute…"

Nita slipped out of her shoes and slid them into a corner with her foot, then rooted around in the bedside dresser drawer. 

"Uh…gimme _one_ second…here."

She pulled out a map of the area, complete with the Tourist's Guide to San Francisco on the back.

"Umm…nothing happening until four. That's the next bus to the Exploratorium. And, Kit, what the heck is that?"

"Uhh…the Exploratorium…Oh, the _Exploratirium_. Uh, it's basically this huge, interactive science museum. Stuff like light refraction, optical illusions, gravity…"

"We're going."

"Oh… alright. So what do we do in the meantime?"

"What do you want to do?"

"Teaching you how to swim might be good."

"Oh, c'mon, Kit. That's just the kind way of saying 'C'mon Nita, let's go jump into the pool so I can dunk you as many times as I need to to get my point across."

"C'mon, Neets. It'll be fun!" Kit said brightly.

"Oh, fine," Nita muttered. "But you better not laugh."

She unzipped her claudication, pulled out her jet black one-piece swimsuit and bright blue beach towel, then went into the bathroom and changed. Kit pulled out his swim trunks and waited for Nita to come out, in the meantime trying to find a good place to eat dinner.

Nita finally came out, and Kit looked at her strangely.

"What?" she asked. She looked at herself in the wall mirror and grinned.

"Lost weight, didn't I?"

"Yeah."

She spun around and flicked her hair over her shoulders.

"C'mon, Kitster. We don't have all day, much as I'd like to."

Kit got the message. He hurried into the bathroom, changed, grabbed a towel, and joined Nita in the corridor.

"Alright," he whispered.

"Let's go."

They walked off down the hall: Kit to an evening of fun, Nita to her first swim lesson and doom.

__

_450 miles South_

San Diego, California.

Ethan looked around.

"This looks right. C'mon, Dairine. We've got to check in in five minutes…"

Dairine paced behind him.

"Well, let's go, then. And Ethan, you can call me Dari." 

Ethan turned around and walked backwards, a hint of something in his voice. Dairine caught it as amusement.

"Alright…_Dari_."

She smiled wryly and said, "Ethan, watch the fire hydrant…"

He dodged it in time, then grabbed Dairine's hand.

"C'mon, Dari, I can see our place."

Dairine jogged alongside Ethan, surprisingly not saying anything.

They walked into the Surfside Inn right on time. It was small, but a very high-quality place. Ethan gave his high school ID, presented his check, and went on up to Room 251. Upon their entry into their room, Dairine burst. She instantly bombarded Ethan with a hundred questions at once without pausing for a breath.

"Areyouanabdaldoyouknowhowmuchpoweryouhavedoyouremembergoodoldmissghanidoyouknowmysisternitaorherboyfriendkitdoyouremmberwhathappenedintatlastbattle…" 

She trailed off as Ethan held up his hands.

"Whoa, whoa. One question at a time. So…first one?"

"Are you an abdal?"

"I think so. Judging by my power ratings, I guess I could be considered that…" He laughed. "Next question.

"Remember good ole Miss Ghani?"

"Oh yeah. She was always telling you that you would be the brightest kid on earth…and that you had to learn get along with _me_…"

Dairine laughed.

"We hated each other so much…"

"Yeah. I remember one time, we had to work together on a painting…what a mess."

"Are you kidding? That was a work of _art_…"

They laughed together, then, as Ethan's hearty chuckles subsided, Dairine accidentally blurted out what was on her mind.

"Have you ever kissed a girl?"

Ethan looked at her.

"Uh…can't say I have. Why?"

Dairine shut her mouth before she could do anything else to her pride, face redder than an overripe tomato. 

"Why?" Ethan asked again.

Dairine hung her head.

"I…I…was…wondering. If you…would…" Dairine couldn't bring herself t finish the sentence. Stared at the ground until Ethan touched her arm. She looked at him for a tenth of a second before flicking her gaze back to the ground.

"Huh?" she asked.

"You want _me_ to kiss you?"

She was silent, suddenly wanting to go and hide from Ethan's soft eyes.

Ethan lifted her chin so they were staring right at each other, then leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.

__

450 miles north

San Francisco, California

"C'mon, Neets. You've got freestyle and backstroke down, you should be able to do the Butterfly…"

"What purpose other than making huge waves does doing the Butterfly serve?"

Kit rolled his eyes. He slipped into the water and tread water by Nita.

"Fine. In that case, I bet you can't catch me."

Nita grinned. "You're on."

She lunged at him. He dodged nimbly and laughed. "C'mon, Neets. You're slower than I am!"

She grabbed him by the waist and dunked him.

Laughing, she said as he came up sputtering, "Slower, maybe. Stronger, oh yes."

He suddenly twisted his body and swept her off her feet... literally. She gave a short scream as she felt her feet come out from underneath her, and she fell into Kit's arms. He quickly kissed her forehead, then accidentally dropped her in the water. He bit his lip to keep from laughing as Nita sat bolt upright, slicking water out of her eyes.

"_Kiiiit!_" she yelled.

"Sorry, Neets…" Kit apologized.

His eyes widened as he saw Nita flying at him in a headlong tackle.

" OH no oh no oh no…YAUGH…."

__

Splash.

Water sprayed ten feet in the air as they fell over backward, Nita pummeling every inch of Kit's back playfully. 

"Oop, sorry Kit…"

He gingerly got up and out of the pool, putting his arm around Nita as she stepped up beside him.

"Alright, alright. Call it even. Let's get going."

Nita wiped her hair out of her eyes again.

"Uh…what time is it?"

Kit shrugged.

"I dunno. We can check, and if we have time, maybe we can go get a car…"

Nita grinned.

"That's more like it."

She slipped her hand into his as they dropped their Pool Passes into the return box and went up to their room. They changed leisurely, noticing it was only 3:16, and Kit hurriedly found the location of a nearby Volvo dealership for Nita, and a Subaru/Chevrolet dealership next door for him. Nita wrote out the coordinates for the alley separating the two, then said the activation syllable, grabbed Kit's hand, and disappeared with a clap of air.

"Thirty-three."

"Miss, I simply can't take the price down any further." 

The moustached salesman looked rather helpless.

"Yes, I _know_ you've been against the Lone One and all that, I _know_ you know two of the most prominent Seniors in America, but I simply _can't_. Thirty-six is my final offer."

Nita hovered on the edge of buying, then sighed.

"I don't know. Maybe I'll go buy a Subaru…" 

"Thirty three is it!"

Nita chanced half a smile. 

"Alright."

"Deal?"

"It's done."

Kit paced around a shining new C5 Corvette, contemplating whether to buy it for a mere, oh, $_70,000_. He grimaced at this last figure. Shook his head, and turned to his guide/salesperson. 

"What was your figure on the Blazer?"

"$29,000, sir."

"Uh…no."

"Well, then, you're looking for a reliable SUV?"

"No, sir, I'm looking for a car that's a comfortable wagon, reliable, and a company to be trusted. The Outback is the closest one I can find, but it doesn't meet what I'd hoped for."

"Well, sir, we don't _have_ that kind of car. But maybe I can interest you in a smaller sedan?"

"Sir, you don't seem to understand. I need a _wagon_."

"I realize that, sir, but there _are_ other alternatives than that."

Kit sighed.

"I apologize, sir. I think I'll just browse for a while."

The salesperson stalked cooly off as Kit crossed the street to the Volvo dealer to meet Nita.


	13. Day of Leisure

A/N: Hey you guys? Is there a difference between N/K and K/N?

Chapter 13

A Day of Leisure

"Nice, Nita…"

She proudly caught the keys the grinning salesman tossed her. 

"Be careful, now, you hear?" he cautioned. "Volvos are good cars, but no car is safe if you're not wearing a seatbelt." 

Nita nodded in acknowledgement.

"Thank you sir. When'll the plates get to me?"

"Oh, they should be with you in a week or so."

"Awright. Well, thanks for the deal, sir."

"Thank you, Miss Callahan. And I need to get over to Tom and Carls' more often. Good to see a few friends again. Tell 'em I said hi, and say I'll be over sometime during September."

"Will do. Thanks a lot."

"No problem. Be safe, alright?"

"Yeah. Well, see you."

Nita climbed into the Volvo, Kit sliding in beside her. She started the car hesitantly, then pressed the gas. The wagon moved forward, engine purring, and rolled out onto Embarcadero. Nita snapped on the left turn signal, looked twice, then rolled out into traffic. Kit sat back in contentment, offering directions.

"Hey, wait. The map says to turn next intersection…no, not here! Next intersection! This one. Right…no, not right. Left! Alright…uh…keep going…"

Nita rolled her eyes.

"Kit, why don't _you_ drive?"

He shrugged.

"Alright. I'll give it a try."

Nita pulled the Volvo over, and they switched places. Kit turned off the emergency blinkers, then pulled confidently back into traffic. He seemed very sure about his driving skills, enough to parallel park when they reached the bus stop. Nita rolled her eyes again.

"Show-off…" she muttered under her breath.

Kit rolled his eyes in return, then sat down with her to wait for the bus.

**************************************************************************************

"Kit?"

He opened his eyes

"Mmmm?"

"Sorry. I wake you up?"

"Nah."

"Oh. Well, d'you think it'd be okay if we went out for dinner?"

Kit winced, rotating his aching back. He had had the joyful opportunity to test the many sickening laws of G-force, and, needless to say, stumbled out a bit sore. Not to mention having to walk 13.5 miles, according to Nita's pedometer, going from exhibit to exhibit to exhibit to exhibit… He wasn't trying to say he'd had a hard day (which was a lie, he'd had a huge blast), but just that he was aching all over. He sighed.

"Oof. I…"

He cut himself off in midsentence as Nita's eyes flashed the wounded-puppy look she'd mastered over the summer.

"Oh, god, Nita, not the _look_…"

She increased the power.

"Oh, alright, alright. I'm just a bit sore…"

Nita smiled slightly and flopped down beside him.

"Tell you what. Give me your shoulders and I'll see what I can do."

Kit complied wearily.

Nita gently kneaded Kit's shoulder muscles, feeling him relax slightly. She continued rubbing and kneading until he moved out of the way.

"Oooh, that feels good. Thanks, Nita."

"My pleasure. Now can we get going?"

"Oh, uh, yeah."

Kit grabbed his camera, flashlight, and charm necklace, then dashed after Nita.

Nita and Kit walked hand in hand into the restaurant they'd decided on as they left the hotel: _Sealine Grill_. They were quickly seated, and a young man waltzed up with a notepad.

"Hello, I'm Arnie, I'm gonna be your waiter for tonight. What would you like?"

Kit blinked.

"Uh…what do you have? We didn't get menus…"

"Anything. Just tell me."

"Uh…clam and shrimp chowder, maybe some jambalaya, and a plate of garlic bread. With a Coke."

"Uh-huh. And you miss?"

"Same."

"Oookay."

Arnie muttered something, then handed them their food that had appeared on the table next to theirs.

He grinned.

"Sticks out all over you. _Dai_."

Nita stared. 

"Uh, _Dai_. Go well, too."

Kit and Nita exchanged glances, then burst out laughing and began to eat.

"I'm gonna blow up…"

Nita laughed at the look on Kit's face as he mock stumbled out of the restaurant after paying the bill and insisting that Arnie keep the tip of $10. She kicked him lightly with the tip of her shoe.

"C'mon, Kit. I've got plans for us."

"Oh boy…" Kit groaned as she dragged him toward the numerous shops of Fisherman's Wharf and the surrounding area.

__

Three hours later

Kit and Nita stood in the elevator of the Holiday Inn as it rose to their floor, Kit carrying a shirt, Nita a ceramic replica of the Hyde-Powell cablecar she'd found on clearance for $13. The steel doors slid open, the bell in the elevator dinged a cheerful farewell, and they stepped out. Kit silently walked down the hall to their room, opened the door for Nita. She grinned at him and ducked under his arm. She placed the cablecar sculpture in her claudication, zipped it, and, folding the pocket, stuffed it in her duffel bag. Kit wearily placed the shirt on the dresser knob, then pulled his hat off and expertly tossed it onto his bedpost. Nita, on the other hand, practically bounced into the bathroom to shower. Kit collapsed in his bed, kicking his shoes off before he did so, and was almost instantly asleep.

Fifteen minutes later, Nita came out in a nightgown and got into her _separate_ bed. She had to wait for several minutes before finally falling asleep.

And so their day ended.

A/N: Yes, I _know_ I need more K/N (N/K?) but allow me to get to the appropriate setting. And as for Ethan and Dairine, they're working things out. I'm still focusing on Nita and Kit, so complain if you want me to shift views. I don't have any ideas for D and E right now, and I'm also tied up in projects, so I'm writing a bit more slowly than usual. So, sorry if I don't update for a bit. I'm also writing at 11:00 at night, my only free time, so…on with the story. I need to shuttup, don't I?


	14. Camping

__

Chapter 14

Camping

After spending a week and $40,242 (remember the car) in San Francisco, Kit and Nita decided to move on. Or, more correctly, it was _Nita_ who decided they move on.

"So where do you want to go, Kit?"

He shrugged.

"Oookay. Anywhere, anything…"

He rummaged through the dresser, sighed, and sat down on the bed, not even acknowledging he'd heard her. Nita waved her hand in front of his face worriedly.

"Helloooo…earth to Kit…hey!"

Kit swatted her away with a noise of exasperation.

She glared at him.

"Alright, then. Could you go check out for me then?"

Kit sighed, got up, and left the room. 

Nita sighed and gathered all her things, tossing them into the otherspace claudication. Kit had seemed oddly distant of late, for what reason, she'd no idea. She looked at one of the photographs of them in her wallet and sighed again, even more wistfully. There they were, months younger, laughing and chatting on a park bench. Nita gazed at the picture and recalled that day. Kit had just been through one of the best days of his life, acing every one of his exams, and she had done nearly the same, acing all but one, which she achieved a B minus on. They had gone out for a while to celebrate, and that was the first time she'd seen him so bright and at ease. He'd joked and laughed with her for over three hours, and they had both gone home tired. She flipped through to the next photo. There they were again, this time Nita with a tennis racket over her shoulder and Kit hugging her as blue and white confetti showered down and the stands around them exploded in cheers. Both of them were laughing and crying as they hugged tightly, and Nita could still hear the announcer's voice booming in her ears.

__

And Callahan takes Smithers down for the championship! What a win! Coming from a slow start to this…

Nita sighed again as she remembered the day before that, when Kit had learned that he'd failed AP History, his best class. His life had been shattered, but he'd managed to pull himself together to coach and cheer Nita on in her most important game. That was the Kit she knew. This one…she hardly could believe was the same person.

Kit opened the door and entered. He silently grabbed their bags and carried them out the door, Nita trailing in his wake.

"Kit, what is _up_ with you? You feeling alright?"

"I'm _fine_, Nita," he snapped.

She looked at her feet and followed him into the elevator.

The Volvo cruised down the southbound Interstate 101, Nita at the wheel, Kit still silent in the seat next to her. The radio played soft rock, and Nita tapped her fingers to the beat on the wheel. After some time on the road, Nita glanced over at Kit.

"What's up with you?" she asked.

Kit glared at her.

"Nita, I _told _you already. I'm fine."

Nita's temper flared.

"Well, excuse _me_ for _caring_," she muttered darkly, feelings hurt.

Kit folded his arms.

"It's the truth," he said stubbornly.

"I'm _fine_."

"Well, stop acting like a total idiot, you jerk. It's…it's almost like I don't even _know_ you…"

Kit closed his eyes and sighed his 'I-don't-want-to-hear-it' sigh.

If Nita's temper had flared before, this time it exploded and sent up a huge mushroom cloud.

"Well, _fine_," she snarled. "If you don't _care_, you think I'm _boring_, let me call Tom and Carl and see what I can do."

Kit glared at her, then, at the look of fury on her face, gave in.

He sighed, put his face in his hands, and asked, "What do you want to hear first?" 

"Give me the whole story," Nita fumed. "_NOW._"

Kit sighed.

"Look, SF is a very high-maintenance city. So you'll probably not be surprised that there are thousands of hundreds of wizards out there. Somehow or another, the Lone One found out where we were, and decided to shadow me. Remember when I had to go meet someone? Well…he took your form…followed me, trying to convince me that he was you. I lost him in Fisherman's Wharf, found you, jumped to eighty-four different galaxies before coming back to our hotel. I was almost shadowed again, but I managed to dodge the attempt. Wait…" He looked suspiciously at Nita.

"How do I know you're you?"

Nita looked like she was ready to cry.

"Kit…if I was the Lone One, I wouldn't be caring enough to ask you these questions. You want physical proof? I have some. Ask me something."

Kit thought a moment.

"Who did you go to the Christmas Ball with?"

Nita smiled slightly.

"There was no Christmas Ball. It was cancelled due to the remodeling of the gym."

Kit stared, then winced and touched her hand.

"Nita… look, I'm really sorry. I just had to be cautious…I'm really, really sorry...Nita…oh, Nita, don't cry…_please_…"

It was too late. Unhindered tears streamed down Nita's cheeks for no apparent reason. Kit, reading her thoughts, touched her hand.

"Nita…whoa, Nita, pull over."

Nita activated her blinkers and pulled over.

She turned to Kit after shifting into neutral, tears still flowing down her cheeks to drop onto her Hawaiian blouse.

"What?" she asked.

Kit hugged her.

"No matter what, I will always love you. You know, there are times when I wonder where I'd be without you. Probably six feet under the ground in a little wooden coffin…"

Nita choked back a sob as a pitiful laugh bubbled out. She wiped her hair out of her eyes, tucked it behind her ears, and shook her head as her tears kept coming.

"I can't drive. You go ahead."

Kit touched her hand, and, switching seats with her, pulled out onto the road, jumping as Nita let out a squeaky hiccup. He looked at her, a grin spreading across his face.

"Alright, Neets?"

She smiled back through red-rimmed eyes.

"Yeah, fine. Thanks."

The Volvo passed through Gilroy, and the smell of garlic momentarily overpowered the new car scent. Very drastically.

Kit's eyes watered as he waved the smell away, switching to recycled air mode.

"Hoo, man. That's _strong_."

Nita rolled her eyes silently and grinned slightly.

"No duh, Sherlock. Gilroy's the garlic capitol if California, producing up to…"

"Yeah…I…kinda figured that,"

Nita snorted and sat back in her seat. A silence filled the space between them, and the large cabin of the S70 was quiet except for the steady hum of the engine and the quiet folk rock song blaring out of the radio. Nita closed her eyes, not knowing what to say to break the silence. It was times like this that she hated, times where it was awkward and hard to think, and times where you couldn't tell anyone about them. This was one of both. She racked her brains for something to say, found nothing, and remained silent. 

__

Fifteen minutes later

Nita was now completely bored out of her mind. She felt like she had rockets strapped to her feet and they were doing their best to drag her out of her seat. Her hyperactive side was coming to kill her. _No more sugar for breakfast,_ she vowed silently. _Absolutely not. No caffeine, no soda, no sugar at all. Never again…never, do you hear me, Nita?_

"Yeah," she said out loud, then realized what she'd done when Kit looked at her.

"Huh?"

Nita turned red.

"Oh, nothing…nothing…really…"

Kit sniffed and turned back to his driving. Nita slapped herself mentally.

__

You idiot Nita. You idiot…

"Hey, Kit?"

"Hmm?"

"Is there anywhere near here where we can get out and walk around? I am gonna go _through the roof_…literally…If I don't burn some energy here…"

"Check the map."

Grumbling, Nita pulled out their map of California and scanned it.

"Oh, great. Nothing on our side until…uh…Paso Robles. Which is about…oh…two hundred miles away…"

Kit sighed.

"Oh, fine. We could always Jump to the parking lot of the harbor…"

"_PLEASE!!!!"_

"…but then again, we might want to see the sights along the way…"

"_KIT!!!!!!"_

"…or, we could go somewhere that's not crowded…"

"_COME ON!!!!"_

"…like…oh, Catalina…"

"_CHRISTOPHER RODRIGUEZ!!!!!"_

"…oh, yeah. That'll be fine. Let me contact Tom and Carl."

He was silent for a while as Nita fumed, then he shut the connection off with a grin.

"Let's go."

He muttered something, checked his rearview mirror, then dropped his all-purpose large objects transport spell. They disappeared with a _bam_, much to the puzzlement of the driver of the red Taurus behind them.

The Volvo's chassis hit the ground, the suspension bounced the car as it came down, narrowly missing a Corvette and neatly ending up in a parking spot. Nita got out in a huge rush and went off running, trying desperately to burn energy before she exploded. Kit shook his head, chuckled, and went into the main building to buy his pass.

After managing to obtain two passes, Kit picked their campground for the two weeks they'd be there.

Nita looked on over his shoulder as he pointed to a site.

"Campground 16 near Two Harbors."

The desk attendant jotted something down.

"Alright. No cars, but other than that, you're good to go. Don't care how you get there, just get there by four. The guys'll be coming around then and making sure that everyone's where they're supposed to be. If you aren't, then, you lose out. Sorry. Thanks for doing business with us."

Kit nodded curtly and left. He quickly threw a shape-conforming shield spell over the Volvo, then picked out the coordinates for the campsite. He entered them in the spell, then, activated it with a short, sharp syllable. They were gone in a clap of air and a chuckle from Nita.

Nita trudged up the last hill and set her bags down. In front of her lay a small area: a picnic table with an open roof over it, a fire pit, hills, and a water spigot at the far side of camp. Behind her, also part of their camp, was a small route leading up a hill to a flat area, where there was enough room for maybe two good-sized tents. Kit was already pitching their tent: a Greatland® four-person. It was water-resistant in case of rain, and also insect-proof. Kit had had an unfortunate encounter with a scorpion last time he went camping in the Appalachians with Nita's father. It was a good thing it had only been a baby…

Kit finished the tent amazingly fast and was already setting up a radio and laying out sleeping bags. Tom and Carl had absolutely refused to let them keep their magic while camping, and they had disabled their powers for the time being. Kit snorted as he thought of the long walk up to the camp while Tom and Carl worked on their powers. He needed the exercise, though. Nita poked her head in.

"Hey. Can I come in?"

Kit put the finishing touches on the zippered windows.

"Sure thing. Take your shoes off first."

Nita tossed her tennis shoes aside and crawled into the tent. She sprawled on her sleeping bag, then propped herself up on one elbow.

"So what first?"

Kit copied her position.

"I dunno. You?"

Nita's eyes flashed with amusement.

"Tom said we ought to get to know each other better…" she said, putting subtle emphasis on the 'know'. She leaned over and kissed him on the lips. He hugged her, and they toppled with an 'oof' from Kit onto Nita's sleeping bag.

After ten minutes of snuggling, they decided to stop. Nita kissed Kit once more, then slipped out of his arms.

"Awright, Kit.," she sighed, tucking her hair neatly back into place. "Now what?"

Kit smoothed his shirt out. "I'm not sure. Want to go swimming?"

"Again?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, fine. Get me my wetsuit and get out of the tent."

Kit chuckled and tossed her the swimsuit and her wetsuit, then left the tent, turning his back. After much rustling, struggling, and swearing from inside the tent, Nita came out, red in the face and tugging her wetsuit, which had stubbornly refused to go on smoothly. Kit grinned slightly as Nita hit him in the face with his swim trunks and wetsuit, then changed smoothly and came out quickly. Nita gave him a hearty punch in the shoulder at the look on his face.

Kit shivered as he waded into the water. Through chattering teeth, he called, "Come on out, Neets. It's all good."

"Kit, it's freakin' freezing out there. You're not going to get me out there for…"

"I'll buy you dinner."

"No." 

"Give you first choice of the restaurant."

"No."

"You build the fire."

"No."

"I'll kiss you."

"No, Kit, and you can't make me."

Kit sighed and waded back to shore. He put his arm around Nita very casually and said, "Nita, you know, you left your bracelet on those rocks over there."

Nita glanced up and out at a few rocks sticking out of the sea. Indeed, her bracelet sat on the rocks, along with her towel. She frowned.

"Kit, that wasn't funny."

He stared at her. 

"You think I did it?"

"Uh…"

"Oh, never mind. Let's just go get them."

They made their way out onto the rocks, wincing as their bare feet hit the loose stone fragments. Nita managed to make it out to where she could reach the bracelet, and she reached for it. It was the work of a moment for Kit. With a casual sweep of his foot and a move of his arms, he 'accidentally' tripped Nita into the ocean, then 'fell' in after her. Coughing and spluttering, Nita, eyeswide with fear and fury, berated Kit ferociously.

"Kit, you _evil piece of_…KIT, I'M GONNA KILL YOU! You _evil little_…you…YOU… "

He casually dunked Nita.

"Oh, stop complaining. Let's go."

Nita bobbed to the surface with a series of expletives that would have made Dairine flinch. She punched the water angrily, then stroked after Kit.

__

Four hours later

Nita shivered by the roaring bonfire Kit had gotten going. Through chattering teeth, she managed to snarl,

"Kit, you evil piece of…oh, I am going to _kill_ you…Kit, I swear to you…AUUUUGGGHHHH…"

Kit patted her head absentmindedly.

"Sorry, Nita. But wasn't it fun?"

"Freezing in forty-degree water, being chased by sharks _again_, getting caught in kelp, and almost getting hit by an anchor aren't my idea of _fun_, Kit."

"But the garibaldi are so neat…did you hear them? They're so clueless sometimes…but really cute."

"Kit, I'm still gonna kill you."

"Okay. What d'you want for dinner?"

"I'm gonna kill you."

"So single-minded, Nita. Really."

"Kit…"

"Hmm?"

"I'm gonna kill you."

"Violence never solved anything," Kit remarked.

"KIT!"

"Huh?"

"I'm gonna _kill _you."

****

"Okay. Popcorn sound good? We can go fishing."

"KIT!"

"Hey, I'm trying to help. Alright. Stay here. I'll be back in a little while. Stay in the tent, and contact me if you need me. Fred's here, just to let you know. I'm letting him out…now."

Kit opened his claudication, and a ball of white light zipped out and settled on Nita's shoulder.

__

Hello, Nita. I take it I am staying here to watch you?

"Yeah, Fred. Thanks," Kit said. "I'll be back in about fifteen minutes, so don't leave, okay?"

He disappeared down the dirt path in a matter of seconds.

Nita instantly started plotting her revenge on Kit as Fred looked on over her shoulder.

Kit walked up the dirt path, wondering where Nita was as he entered the campsite and saw no one there. He was, without warning, hit by a bucketful of cold ocean water from Nita's hiding place behind the tent. Sopping wet, he held up his hands in surrender.

"Okay, okay, truce! Truce!"

Nita grinned and asked, "What'd you bring back?"

Kit tossed her a box of PopTarts, three candy bars, two packs of M&Ms, a roll of Shock Tarts, three Gatorades, four iced teas, a popcorn pan with popcorn already in it, and a big pack of AA batteries. She nodded, ripped open the popcorn, and placed it over the fire, where it instantly began to puff up and explode. She tossed one of the M&Ms packs to Kit, who ripped it open and tossed one into his mouth. He chewed it, swallowed, and choked as Nita bounced a pebble off his head. He rubbed it ruefully, sighed, and, taking a popcorn kernel from the pan, flung it at her. It flew well wide, and she laughed.

"Huh. Missed-again."

Kit rolled his eyes but didn't reply, instead ripping a patch of dead plants up from the ground behind him and using that to flare the fire. He took the popcorn off, then noticed that his nose and eyes were burning. He set the popcorn down on a rock, then wiped his eyes, as Nita was doing as they both heard a slight popping from the wild mustard plants they were burning. The seeds were popping, and thus releasing a horrid smell and chemicals into the air. Kit threw dirt on the burning mustard, and the fire went out, but the smell and taste lingered. Especially on the popcorn, which actually tasted better with the mustard added. Just that missing hint of spice…

Kit wiped his eyes again, and got the fire burning again after exiling the mustard plants and using various grasses and popcorn as tinder as he put iron to flint. Sparks flew, and one hit a piece of popcorn, which instantly blew up in a raging inferno, igniting the leaves and small branches Kit was placing on the fire. He found a thick booklet of paper coupons under a bush, and used those to send flames leaping into the night. He piled large branches on, and sat back and relaxed as Nita looked in the tent for her marshmallows. She emerged with them, and Kit tossed her a stick he'd been sterilizing in the fire.

"Here. Take it and use it. No, it's not oleander. Just eat. I will." 

With that, Kit took three marshmallows and, tossing one into the fire, watched as it crisped, then burst into flames before melting into a small puddle at the bottom of the fire pit. On a sudden inspiration, he tossed an M&M into the fire. It melted and was liquid before it hit the ground. Kit sighed and poked his marshmallows into the fire. He watched them brown, then, as he was about to pull them out, they simultaneously burst into flames. He blew them out, then ate both. He grinned at Nita, who'd scrapped hers in favor of toasting PopTarts in the popcorn pan. She watched the Wild Berry pastry blacken on the bottom, then took it out and ate it.

"Hmm?" she asked.

"I'm going to bed. You know how to get into your side, right?"

"Yeah. See you in the morning."

"Don't forget to put the fire out, okay?"

"Will do. G'night, Kit."

"Night, Neets."

Kit dived into his sleeping bag after kicking his shoes off and grabbed his flashlight. He stood it up between the zippered barrier so he could at least see a bit. Not long after he lay down, he heard Nita throw water on the fire, kick off her shoes, and come into the tent. She flung her socks outside as well, then lay down. 

"Hey, Nita?"

She started, then relaxed.

"Oh, Kit. I thought you were asleep. Whatcha want?"

"What time is it?"

She checked her watch.

"Eleven fourteen."

"Oh. Thanks. Well…"

"Yeah. See you tomorrow morning."

"Yeah. Love you, Nita."

"Hey, Kit. You blushing?"

"Uh…I guess not."

"Hey, good. Confidence is everything. Yeah, well, I love you too. Good night. Sweet dreams."

"Of you?"

Nita laughed quietly.

"Anything."

"Alright. Night, Nita."

"G'night, Kit."

"Hey, Nita?"

"What?"

"You know any good ghost stories?"

"Oh, Kit, c'mon. I'd kind of like to get to bed."

"Alright, alright. See you in the morning."

"Yeah. And then to the tennis courts."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. Now, shuttup, will you?"

Kit touched Nita's hand through the thin cloth separating them.

"Sorry."

"Uh-huh. Now go to sleep."

The ocean roared distantly, crickets chirping their daily hymn to the rising of the moon, and the occasional lonely hoot of an owl. All was quiet in their camp, the silence broken only by the humming of Fred as he flitted about on guard duty and the heavy breathing of Kit and Nita as they dozed. 

And so ended their long, eventful day.

A/N: Oookay. So, I'm okay, but my stories seem to be…a bit off. Not enough research on my part… sorry you guys. Tell me if I'm slipping in anything. I've hit my version of writer's block. This one prevents me from doing my stories like I used to. D/E is gonna have to wait a bit…sorry.


	15. Meetings

__

Chapter 15

A Meeting/ Yet ANOTHER Fight

Kit woke slowly to the sound of ocean waves pounding far below him and the _skreee_ of the seagulls wheeling overhead. He yawned, stretched luxuriously, enjoying the cool ocean breeze, and relaxed. _This vacation's doing me some good_ he thought. _Love this place…oceans do that to me…_

He sighed, stretched again, and slipped on a T-shirt and jeans. He leaned over and shook the slumbering Nita gently.

"Hey, Nita."

She groaned and rolled over, taking her pillow with her. She brought it down on top of her head, muttering something. Kit sighed.

"Alright. Nita, I'm going down t'Two Harbors.Okay? I'll be back in a few."

Nita grunted sleepily in acknowledgement. Kit smiled wryly and slipped out of the tent.

Fog covered the main part of the island as Kit walked downhill to the small town. Merely fog being a major understatement. Kit felt like he needed to blowtorch his way through the thick blanket of fog. He sighed, shivered in the cool air, and jogged down the dirt path leading back to the tiny town.

Kit, jolted awake by the freezing cold water he experienced in the shower stall, sat on the beach of Two Harbors, merely letting his mind drift off into nowhere. The wintry air swirled around him, carrying varied noises past his ears. Over the constant _whoosh_ of the ocean surf crashing onto the rocky beach, he heard, very distantly, a bottlenose dolphin chattering angrily at a fishing boat. A seagull let out its cry of triumph as it dived toward the waves in a major hurry, eager for a quick meal of an unfortunate rock crab that vainly tried to scurry back under its rock. And speaking of meals…

Kit's stomach growled loudly. He sighed and watched his breath freeze into the visible spectrum before floating off. He shook his head in exasperation and started his trek back up to camp.

Kit trudged up the second to last hill when he heard the voice in his head.

__

Hey, you. What you doin' on mah land?

Kit looked up and around wildly and found himself facing a 2-ton American bison.

"Oh…_crap_…" 

Kit backed away, his heart pounding wildly in his chest, speaking softly to the curious and slightly upset animal.

__

Oh…sorry…I didn't realize this was your land…'scuse me…

The bison snorted.

__

Fine. A wizard. Well, go on. You're pardoned. 

Kit, still a bit wary, kept his eyes on the bison as he slowly backed up the path. When he was sure it was not going to attack him, he turned and slipped on a rock. The bison sneezed and laughed behind him.

__

Watch yer step, laddie…

Kit sprang to his feet and sprinted up the path. He didn't stop until he dashed into camp five minutes later. Nita poked her head out of the tent, looking a bit tired.

"There you are. I've been looking for you…"

Kit sat down, breathing hard. Nita raised an eyebrow at him.

"Kit? You okay?"

"Nita? Do me a huge favor."

"What?"

"Don't ever make me talk to a bison."

Nita stared, then shook her head.

"I'm not going to ask."

__

Three hours later

Nita came out of the showers feeling a lot more conscious than she had been. Kit looked at his watch impatiently from his position on the low branch fence.

"Come _on_, Nita. We don't have much time…"

She punched him lightly.

"Shuttup. Let's go, if you're so concerned about it."

He poked her in the back of the neck.

"Alright, Are we just gonna sit here doing nothing, or are we gonna go?"

"Fine! Let's go."

"Alright…"

"_Kit!_"

"Going…"

The fog was gone. Completely gone. Which was not necessarily a good thing. The hot sun beat down on the two small figures walking along a wide, red dirt road, raising the temperature to a very humid, oh, 82 degrees. Kit felt like he was being tortured. Stuffing his sweater in his backpack as he walked, he moaned,

"Remind me to never, _ever _think the weather out here is going to stay like this."

Nita laughed wearily.

"I thought you knew that already. Kit, we're out in the middle of the ocean. Whaddya expect?"

"Something cooler, more constant."

"Well, guess what. You aren't gonna get that here."

Kit rolled his eyes.

"I kinda figured."

"Well then why'd you just say that?"

"Huh?"

"What?"

"What?"

"Wait…"

"Huh?"

"Um…"

"What?"

"Uh…"

"Huh."

"What?"

"Huh?"

"_Kit…_"

Kit sighed and kept walking.

__

Half an hour later

"You're lost, aren't you?" Nita inquired

"No I'm not…"

"See, that's the problem with guys. You don't stop and ask for directions. I can't figure that out…"

"Shuttup, Nita."

"_What?_" 

"Uh…"

Kit thought fast, failed.

"Huh?"

"What was that?"

"What?"

"You know what…"

"Huh?"

"Kit, don't try that on me…"

"What?"

Nita rolled her eyes, exasperated.

"Look, why don't we just retrace our route and go back to camp. Sound good?"

Kit sighed.

"Uh…"

"Fine. Let's go."

Nita seized Kit firmly by the hand and hauled him off.

__

One hour later

"Doubt my tracking skills now?" Nita challenged a sulking Kit.

He frowned up at her.

"Luck…" he muttered. "Nothing but luck…" 

Nita cuffed him on the back of the head.

"Oh, stop whining. Where to next? I'm getting sick of letting you drive…"

"Somewhere calm…but a bit warm…quiet…I need to relax…"

"Uhh…there's a hot-water vent on the floor of the Pacific that's currently open…"

"_Ni-ta…_"

"Fine, fine…Los Gatos?"

"_The Cats?_"

"Yeah. Nice, peaceful little community in Northern California."

"Hmmm…maybe…"

"Fine. Let's go. Contact Carl, I'll pack up."

Kit sighed and turned away, massaging his temples as he attempted to find Carl.

Nita watched him for a while, then groaned and kicked the support poles for the tent from under it in a sudden fit of exasperation. She folded the tent, tossed it into her claudication, and started gathering everything from the campsite. She took off her visitor's pass and placed it on the camp number post, and took Kit's off, purposely smacking his ear in the process. She looped it around the post and turned back to Kit. He blinked once, nodded, and broke the connection.

"Alright. We're good to go," he sighed.

Nita rolled her eyes and jumped as the Volvo popped out of nowhere. She stared at it like an idiot for a moment, then grabbed her keys, unlocked it, and slid inside. Kit tossed a transit circle on the ground, programmed their destination into it, and slid in beside Nita. With a sudden spray of dirt, the Volvo lunged forward and, with another whipcrack, vanished.

The silver S70 rolled down Interstate 5, Kit on his cell phone, trying to make it clear to the desk clerk that they were 'not making prank calls, ma'am. We'd like to stay at your hotel for three days…no, ma'am, _three_ days. Yes. Uh-huh. No, ma'am. Yes. Okay. We'll pay when we get there. Alright. Okay. Thank you. G'bye."

Kit turned the phone off and shoved it in his backpack. Nita irritably inquired, "Why three? You didn't even _ask_ if three would be alright…"

Kit gave her a look that she knew all too well: a furrowed brow and a twisted frown on his face. He was exasperated and more than a bit irritated.

"What is _up_ with you?"

Nita blew him off and kept driving.

"Nita…"

"_What?_"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing!"

"Hey, I told _you_, why won't you tell _me_?"

"Look, Kit…I…oh, what the heck…I was talking to Ronan last night. Via _mindspeak_, you idiot," she groaned at the look on Kit's face.

"…and he was mad at me for some reason. He was being really stupid. Saying stuff like 'Kit's not gonna give you anything… why not dump _him_?"

Kit frowned.

"_Ronan?_"

"Yeah. I don't know what was up with him. So anyway, we got in this huge fight, he got really mad, and he just cut me off. I got so worked up at him…"

"Oh."

"Yeah. So there."

Kit was quiet, staring blankly at the speedometer needle, which was currently reading at 5 miles above the limit. He sighed, started to say something, then thought better of it and shut up. Nita almost bashed herself on the head with the steering wheel, then realized where she was and steered the car back in between the lines. In a voice twisted with stress, anger, and fatigue, she managed to choke out, "We…broke up last night. If you heard me swearing a lot last night…that's what it was about."

Kit shook his head slightly and sighed.

"Nita…I wish I could help you a bit with this…but I just…can't. Unless you want one of my all-time favorite proverbs."

"Huh?"

"They say that there are few problems in life…that cannot be solved with major explosives."

Nita choked on her own laughter. 

After a few minutes or regaining self-control, she snickered, "Are you implying that I ought to blow Ronan up?"

"Nooooo…I'm implying that this is one of the few problems that _can't_ be solved with major explosives. A few choice swearwords, maybe…"

Nita cracked up again. Kit gave her a mock frown.

"What _is_ it with you? So easy to crack up…"

Nita shook her head and forced herself to stop laughing.

"Kit, I'm gonna lose control of the car. _Shut up _before I push you out."

Kit rolled his eyes but kept quiet. 

After a short transport spell and a brief argument on which lane to take, the silver S70 was parked in the Pruneyard Inn's parking lot, and Nita propelled Kit into the double doors of the small hotel energetically.

"C'mon, Kit…"

She let go of his arm and pushed him up to the check in desk.

"Hi…"

"Name?"

"Uh…Christopher Rodriguez…"

"Christopher…here you are. ID?"

Kit handed the clerk his New York driver's license. She scrutinized it carefully, then, satisfied, took his MasterCard and swiped it.

"Nonsmoking upgraded…twin beds…ah, Room 214. Here're the keys. Third floor. Have a good stay."

"Thank you."

Kit grabbed his duffel bag and, with a groan, hoisted Nita's onto his back as well. He staggered toward the elevators, muttering, "You know, Nita, you don't have to empty your whole _bedroom_ into the bag…ow!"

Nita smacked him on the back of the head.

"Keep going, slave," she grinned.

Kit carefully pushed her into the elevator door.

"Oops. Sorry."

She rubbed her shoulder, then sighed and leaned against the wall, waiting for the elevator to come down.

__

Two days later

A/N: Whoa! Yeah, I know that's a really abrupt transition, but it all plays out. I guess.. 

Nita sat on her bed after some early morning shopping: namely, 3 to 5 in the morning. A lot of shops were open, surprisingly.

"You know, Kit, it probably would've been faster if we'd walked."

Kit flung Nita's beach towel at her. It hit her in the face and wrapped itself around her head.

As she divested herself of the towel, he retorted, "Yeah, well, you wouldn't have had to carry eight tons of clothes and other stuff up to a room."

He almost dodged the eraser Nita bounced off his forehead. Note the almost. It bounced off his head and almost hit the window.

"Lazy," she muttered.

"Hey, were _you_ carrying up the bags? Noooo. So don't complain."

"Well, did you ever stop to think that it might have been nice to let _me_ carry my own bags? You don't have to be my bellhop, you know."

While Kit struggled to find an answer for that, Nita calmly took out a book and began to leaf through it. In a strangled voice, Kit inquired, "Hey, is it all right to be nice once in a while, or is that against your law, your Royal Highness?"

Nita's temper flared again.

"Kit, will you just shuttup?"

"Well hey, you started this."

"Well, if you hadn't spent eight days waiting for the elevator, I wouldn't have had anything to say."

"Oh, so it's _my _fault now, huh?"

"Was it ever mine?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, when?"

"When you never asked to carry your own bags."

"Well, I thought you would catch on."

"Oh yeah?" Kit demanded hotly. "Well, I didn't."

"Well, there's a lesson to be learned in that."

"Oh, shut _up_, Nita. You sound like my _mom_…"

Oops.

Nita's face grew tight with fury and pain.

"Well now," she said in an equally tight voice, "I don't _have_ a mom anymore. Thi…think about that, Kit." 

Kit slammed his fist down onto the bed.

"Look, Nita," he shouted. "I'm just trying to help! Don't start this…"

Nita angrily stood up.

In a high-pitched voice, she screamed back into his face, "No, _you_ look, Kit. I am going through a _very_ rough time in my life right now, if it hasn't slipped your damn mind! You don't seem to understand that! How much intelligence does it take to understand what I am going through?"

Tears were openly pouring down Nita's face now. In a frustrated motion, she reached out and slapped Kit across the face. 

*******************

(The asterisks characterize a rather lengthy war of the words between Kit and Nita, which includes quite a bit of very choice language. In short, Nita went through the roof, Kit likewise, and the dispute ended with Kit leaving the building. This is where we pick up the story again.)

Kit stalked down the sidewalk of the tree-lined residential area, eyes narrowed in anger, fists clenched inside his pockets as he kicked a rock out in front of him. _Stupid, stupid, stupid_. The words echoed inside of his head with every step he took.

__

Stupid…stupid…stupid…

He tripped on a tree root, stumbled, but managed to keep his balance. He stomped on, furious. In a fit of randomness, he whipped his transport spell out, altered a few coordinates to random numbers, and stepped on it with a short, barked syllable. He vanished with no more than a slight breeze to ruffle the tree leaves.


	16. Nita's Secret

__

Chapter 16

Nita's Secret

A/N: No, it's not what you think, people.

Kit strode angrily through the Connecticut woods, cursing himself, oblivious to the beauty around him. He jumped at the voice that suddenly cut through his head.

__

Kit?

He almost looked around for the speaker.

__

Nita?

No, stupid. It's Dairine. What's up?

Kit rubbed his tired eyes with one hand.

__

Nita and I...

Oh, don't tell me. Another fight?

Yeah. 

Boy, is that you twos' favorite thing to do or what?

Shuttup.

Damn, Kit! Bit touchy now...listen to me.

Dairine's 'voice', once poking fun at him, grew grave.

__

Okay. I want you to sit down.

But...

Shut up and sit down!

Kit sat.

__

Okay. Close your eyes...

Feeling more than a bit stupid, Kit did as he was told.

__

Now I want you to think about this. Who blew up at who?

Kit instantly answered, _Nita blew up at me._

Why?

I dunno.

Kit, don't give me crap like that. Why?

Kit sighed.

__

I guess I offended her by saying...something.

'Kay. Now, in past fights, who was the cause of all this?

Dairine...

Okay. Thank you. Most of the time, it was you.

It was not...!

I'm waiting...

Okay, fine. Maybe it WAS me.

Much better. You can be alone now.

Dairine broke the connection.

Kit sat down on a rotting log angrily. Angry at Nita for being an idiot, angry at _himself_ for being an idiot, angry at Dairine for making him see sense...

Kit clapped a hand over his face, feeling even stupider. He chided himself mentally for a few minutes, then, exhausted, sat there listening to the birds sing, to the sound of a running stream behind him, feeling in touch with Mother Nature. He sighed deeply, then stood, lifted his transit spell, and altered the coordinates. He dropped it onto the floor of dead leaves, and, with a crunch and a scattering of leaves, vanished in a brief gust of wind.

Kit pushed his card key into the slot of their room. With a deep breath and a wince, he slowly opened the door, waiting for the explosion of temper from Nita. It never came. He removed the key and cautiously entered the room. Nita was asleep in a chair, her hair messy and tousled, dried tears still showing on her face. He smiled wryly at how she looked, then set the Big Mac and fries he'd been carrying on the table beside her. He hastily jotted down a note, then, slapping it down next to the food, gave Nita's forehead a brief kiss and was gone.

A half hour later, when Nita woke from one of the weirdest dreams of her life, the first thing she saw was the food. Her eyes settled on the slip of paper next to the bag and picked it up, wondering, _Did Kit leave his receipt?_

Her next thought was _Oh...Kit._

Her eyes narrowed and she almost crumpled the paper into a ball when her name caught her attention. She looked at Kit's messy handwriting and couldn't help but to read the note.

Dear Nita,

I know you're really pissed off at me, but do me a favor and read this note. Please don't toss it...

Okay. My first thing I have to say to you is...I'm sorry. I'm sorry for the way I hurt you. I'm sorry I'm so insensitive and a dumbass sometimes. I'm sorry...for just being an all-around idiot.

Second thing: I need to make this all up to you. I don't know how, I will. I promise you.

Third thing: Eat.

Fourth Thing: I'm out in Seal Beach if you need me. It's bookmarked in your map.

Love,

Kit

Nita smiled thinly. She folded the note, slipped it into her wallet, and sighed as Dairine's voice came into her head.

__

Hey Nita. How're things?

Fine, Dair. Now get out of my head.

Not so fast there Nita. I was just talking to Kit...

Well, he left me a note, which was sweet of him.

Awww...

Shut UP, Dairine. Hey, do I tease you about Ethan?

Yeah.

Well, not as much.

Well that's because we've only been together for six days!

Five.

Six.

Whatever. Now get out.

If you say so, sis...

Dairine broke the connection.

"_ Sisters_..." Nita scowled, flopping facedown onto her bed. She sighed loudly into the cotton fluffiness of the pillow, wondering what Kit was doing at the moment.

Some 170 miles away, Kit was walking through a Mazda dealer.

__

Something sporty...nice, little coupe...he thought, walking through the RX section. Two models caught his eye right away: a tiny red hardtop and an equally miniscule steel-gray convertible. He paced over to the red hardtop and looked it over. A salesman, seeing a prospective buyer, came flying over, all mouth.

"Hello there, sir. Ah, our Mazda RX-3. Yes, one of the more popular of our cars, and also one of the older ones. She can be yours for..."

Kit held up a hand.

"I hate to interrupt, sir, but I was looking at this one."

He gestured to the hardtop.

The salesman, embarrassed, cleared his throat a few times before resuming his sales pitch.

"Ah..ahem...oh, the RX-5 Miata. A very good choice. A light, nimble speedster quite capable of tooling along at 120 mph. Very good car."

Kit frowned.

"Uh. Oookay. What about this one?"

He gestured to the convertible.

"Oh, the RX-8. Our newest model, this thing is packed with a 192 horsepower engine, yet is capable of hitting 100 in a mere 6.1 seconds. Very sleek, very sporty. Good choice. Yours for how much, sir?"

"I don't know...you know, I don't think I'll be buying here."

"But..."

"I'm sorry sir."

The salesman blustered a bit before giving a forced smile.

"Very well then. We're open for a long time. Thank you sir."

The salesman turned on his heel and stalked off.

Kit strolled along the sunlit sidewalk, glancing at the cars that passed. An old Camry...a few Fords...a Beetle...

__

Whoa...what's that? Kit wondered, looking at the blue Audi TT-shaped car with triangular taillights idling at a signal. 

He caught a glimpse of the logo on the rear before the car pulled away: Nissan. He looked around for a Nissan dealer, and, to his immense delight insert drum roll, found that the nearest one was a mile and a half away. Pulverize that idea. 

__

Uhh...how 'bout a Ford?.

__

But I don't like Fords...

An hour and a half later, Kit parked next to Nita's Volvo in a brand new, bright red Mustang Cobra R. He loved it from the minute he set his brown eyes on the car. It handled like a dream, and had, to his shock, been on clearance for $23,084, $10,000 less than its factory price. He shut the car off, got out, and, locking the doors, put a shape-conforming shield spell over both their cars. Anyone who tried swinging anything at their car windows for the next few hours would have it bounce right back in their face. 

The first thing that hit Kit when he opened the door was Nita. She hugged him, crying, "Where _were_ you? You got me so worried..."

Kit gently pried Nita's arms from around his neck.

"I was getting a car, for that matter. Took me four hours, but I got it."

"Whatcha get?"

"Mustang. Bright red. Love it."

"Nice."

She plopped down on the bed with a sigh.

"So whaddya want to do now?"

Kit sat down next to her.

"I think we need to talk."

Nita looked at him.

"Huh. There's a change. About what, exactly?"

"About what just happened."

"What, the car?"

Kit rolled his eyes.

"Nita, you're even more clueless than me. No, stupid, about our little...fight."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Well, then, let's talk."

"Okay. Uh..."

"..."

"..."

"I'm waiting, Kit."

Embarrassed, he sighed.

"Alright, kill that topic."

"Okay then. So what do you want to do?"

"I dunno. You?"

"I think we need to talk."

"About..."

"_Anything,_ Kit."

"Ooookay. You go first."

"I...don't really have anything to talk about."

"Oh, of _course_ you do."

"Ah, no."

Exasperated, Kit sighed.

"Do you want to go anywhere...do anything..."

"I don't _know_, Kit."

"_Auuugghhh..._"

He leaned over and pulled open the nightstand drawer. He found and unfolded The Tourist's Guide to Los Gatos. Scanning it, he remarked, "Hey, there's a park not too far from here. Wanna go?"

"I guess so...it'll give me something to do."

"Alright. When?"

"I dunno. I'm feeling really out of it right now."

Kit sighed.

"I know what you mean. I _know_ what you mean."

Nita rubbed her eyes, yawning.

"Yeah. I'm really out of it today," she groaned.

Kit put his arms around her, drawing her close.

"Feel better?"

Nita sighed and tucked her head under his chin.

"A bit..."

Kit smiled.

"Great."

They sat there for a while, enjoying one another's company, Nita's head on Kit's chest, their arms wrapped around one another. Their lips somehow met, and their display was not short. Neither of them bothered to hide their emotions from the other, neither of them shy about expressing their love. Nita's cell phone chose that moment to belt out a monotonic version of Elvis's 'Burning Love'. She sighed, held the kiss for just a while longer, then, after another second, broke the kiss and slipped an arm out from around Kit. She groped around in her purse for the annoying device, found it, and hit the talk button.

"Hello, Nita Callahan speaking."

"Hey, Nita. Is Kit there?"

"Oh, hi Mrs. Rodriguez. Wait a sec..."

Nita placed the phone facedown on the bed and smiled wryly at Kit.

"It's for you."

He rolled his eyes and slipped out of Nita's headlock, which had been tightening on him.

He picked the phone up.

"Hello?"

"Hey Kit."

"Hi, mom. Whatcha need?"

"Carl just called me. He needs you to leave California as soon as possible. Both of you. He says Tom picked up a trace of the Lone One being in your area, and you need to get out soon."

"Oh. Okay. Where does he want us to go?"

"Somewhere big or far away. He said somewhere like Texas or Germany."

"Oookay. By when?"

"Two days from now. Kit, I want you to get out of there this instant. I want to make sure you're in Texas or Germany by tomorrow at noon, or I'm having Carl come and get you both."

"Mom, we'll be fine. As long as Nita's keeping me in line..." He smiled at her, and she punched him lightly in the shoulder to hide her embarrassment. "...I'll be okay."

"Kit...I don't know. I'm worried with you out there..."

"Mom, I'll be in Texas by then. Trust me. Oh, and can you take care of Nita's wagon for us?"

"_What?_"

"Ni-ta's wagon."

"Oh. You got a car?"

"Both of us did."

"Oh. Alright. I guess so. Well...better not waste your minutes. See you soon, Kit."

"Yeah. Love you."

"Love you too. And say congrats to Nita for me, will you?"

"Huh?"

"Say Congratulations to Nita for me, will you?"

"Oh...okay. Why?"

"Wait a minute. Oop, gotta go. Bye."

"Bye..." the confused Kit coughed.

He shut the phone off and tossed it into Nita's purse.

"Mom said to tell you Congratulations."

Nita blushed. "Oh. Okay," she said breezily.

"Nita...?"

"Huh?"

"What is it?"

"Uh...oh, _crap_..."

Nita blushed even more, winced, and slipped around Kit into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Kit blinked, shook his head, and sat down, planning out what he had to do. In mere minutes, Nita's Volvo was sitting on his front lawn 1,500 miles away, and their bags had been packed. Kit jotted down one final note as Nita came out, tucking her hair back behind her ears. She caught Kit's casual glance at her and frowned.

"What?"

"Nothing," Kit replied hastily, folding a sock and tossing it into his claudiation. He realized what he had done and scrambled in after it with what Nita caught as a muttered swearword. He came up with it blushing, found its mate and rolled them together, then tossed it into his duffel bag. Nita shook her head smilingly and, grabbing her purse, went into the bathroom and scooped a few things into it. She came out with the purse over one shoulder, winced as she banged her elbow on the doorframe, then helped Kit pack. 

The final sock pair sailed into Kit's claudication with a swoosh and a whoop of triumph from Nita. Kit grinned as he 'zipped' up his otherspace pocket, folded it, and stuffed it inside his duffel bag.

"Alright," he sighed, getting up off his knees and dusting his hands off. "Are we done?"

"Yeah. I think so."

"Well..." Kit groaned. "Let's hit the road."

Kit checked out of the hotel, thanked the receptionist, and walked out to the Mustang. Stepping over the unconscious would-be carjacker and kicking the crowbar aside, Kit disabled the shield spell, but left it in what he called a 'hibernation' mode, up but not in use. 

"Just in case," he told Nita, who was suddenly very apprehensive about getting in the car.

"You're not making me feel any better about your driving skills, Kit," she remarked, sliding in next to him and buckling her seatbelt. Kit rolled his eyes and, reaching across and slamming her door, started the Mustang. The V8 roared, then purred in content as the car rolled forward, leaving behind one very dazed criminal and a police cruiser that pulled into the lot after a brief confirmation chat with Kit.

The Mustang popped into the solid spectrum with a noise of complaint from the suspension as the car bounced on the dirt shoulder of the Eastbound Route 20. Kit glanced behind him, then pulled out onto the two-lane highway. He grimaced at the weather. Strong winds gusted sand and dust into the highway, cutting Kit's visibility to about zero. Nita could see the worried look on his face as he slowed to three-quarters of the speed limit. 

"Oh, god, Nita, I don't like this. This is sending up about twenty red flags in my head. Oh, god, Nita..."

Nita grimaced, looking out the windshield at the scenic view of what the 1930s Dust Bowl must have looked like when you were stuck inside your house with a 30-mile an hour wind blowing all kinds of grit into your windows. Nita shook her head. 

"I dunno...I really don't know."

How Kit chose that moment to look in the rearview mirror, he had no idea, but he did, and it ended up saving both their lives. A fully loaded Mack tractor and trailer bore down on the small sedan at 90 mph, horn blaring, lights on. Kit smashed the accelerator flat on the floor, but the tires spun and threw up grit and sand as they spun through it, seeking the asphalt. Nita screamed out a number of syllables at the same moment Kit yelled the syllable to activate the shield spell. A loud _whomph_ sounded, and Kit and Nita were pushed against the back of their seats by something invisible and very cushiony. At the same moment, the truck hit the back of the Mustang. The car was rocketed forward by the impact and immense momentum of the 20-ton truck and trailer, and Kit watched in horror as a concrete light pole loomed in their immediate path. The Mustang slammed into the pole at 86 mph, flipped, and rolled twice before coming to rest on the shoulder of the road. The truck that had hit them pulled over, and the driver leaped out and came dashing over, expecting to find dead bodies in a ripped apart car. Instead, he was amazed to be greeted by two very polite teenagers without a bruise on their bodies, and a red Mustang in one piece without even a scratch in the paint job. He stammered uncertainly, "H-h-how'd you do that?"

Kit shook his head, somewhat shaken by the event.

"If you'd pardon me, sir, that is not the important thing. Sir, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, sonny. I'd like to see me truck, though."

Kit muttered a syllable as they walked toward the truck, and the large dent in the truck front grille popped out, leaving no trace of an accident. Looking at the front of his truck, the trucker scratched his head uncertainly.

"Well, that's mighty funny. Oh, well, I guess I was wrong."

Nita smiled.

"Sir, if you don't mind my asking, have you had any accidents like this before?"

"No, missie, never. Today's a bad dust storm, I couldn't see you. If you're alright..."

"We're fine, sir. May I know your name?"

"Oh...Edward H. Mallows."

"Well, Mr. Mallows. I beg your pardon for this inconvenience. I hope you'll reach your destination in time?"

"Oh...yes, missie. I-I'm sure I will."

Kit and Nita shook hands with the friendly trucker.

"Well, then, sir. We'd best be on our way."

"Pardon me, sonny. Your name, your friends' name?"

"I'm Kit Rodriguez, and this is Nita Callahan."

"Alright. Thank you, Mr. Rodriguez, Miss Callahan. I hope you'll fare as best on the rest of your trip."

"Thank you, sir. We will."

As the red Mustang pulled away, the trucker pulled out his log. Under the date, he scratched down the following:

__

1:27 PM: Got into minor accident. No injuries, no damage to either vehicle.

"So, Nita, what, exactly, were you being congratulated on?" Kit asked, a mischievous sparkle in his eyes.

Nita covered her head with the pillow, going red.

"Why?" she asked, her voice muffled by the pillow over her head.

The two sat on a bed in a rural Vermont hotel, Nita going deep red under her protective pillow, Kit laughing above it.

"Oh, c'mon Nita. You can tell me."

She shook her head stubbornly.

"Tell you what. I'll tickle you until you reveal all."

That brought Nita out.

"You wouldn't _dare_..." she started.

Kit leaped.

Nita squeaked as he landed on her back, pinning her to the bed as he tickled her in her sensitive spot just behind her ear. She instantly bent double laughing, thrashing around helplessly as Kit tickled her relentlessly. He stopped, let her breathe, then tousled her hair affectionately as she swatted at him.

"Stoppit!" she laughed.

Kit raised an eyebrow.

"Talk?"

Nita raised one hand for protection.

"Maybe."

Kit lightly buffeted her with a pillow.

"Talk."

Nita playfully got him in a headlock and rubbed his head with her fist.

"No, _you_ talk."

Kit struggled to get out of her headlock, failed, and managed to tickle her with his left hand, which was pinned beneath him. She recoiled in amusement, and Kit, with a deft twist, pinned her down with a pillow again.

"Talk."

Nita flushed and rolled her eyes.

"Oh, fine. I...I entered that poetry contest that Kielsy kept going on about."

"You _what?_"

Nita blushed even more.

"It was a poetry contest. I...oookay. Lemme start over. This was right after that huge fight over Ronan and me. That second to last week of school. Well...I wrote a poem about how...how I felt...I guess I won."

Kit's jaw hit the ground, and his shocked attempt at a laugh failed pathetically. He stammered over a few nonsense words as Nita lowered her eyes.

"You're not mad, are you?" she inquired, sounding like a resentful toddler talking to her father.

Kit swept her off her feet and kissed her. Nita let out a noise of surprise, then laughed nervously and responded to his kiss. When he broke it, she was surprised to find that his eyes were shining with tears.

"Nita," he laughed quietly. "That's probably the best thing that's come out of our fights so far. Wow. Congratulations to you!"

Nita smiled shyly back at him.

"Thanks. I...I feel so bad now..."

"Why?" Kit asked. "You _won_. Be _proud_."

"I...I guess because we're back together now, the fight seems stupid and old... I dunno. It's hard to place."

Kit hugged her again.

"Oh, c'mon, Nita. Don't spoil your good day. It's only 3 PM, I've been up for 12 hours, we've fought and made up already, we've had a great day. Be happy."

Nita sighed, and, with a playful grin, said, "You know, a walk might be in order here."

Kit kissed her lips once more.

"Okay, then. C'mon, let's go."

Nita hurriedly pulled on sweatpants, a pair of wool socks, and a poncho to go over her two layers of sweaters. Kit merely slipped into a windbreaker and raised an eyebrow. "Oookay, Nita. If you really want to wear that..."

"Okay. Kit, I can't take this any longer. Lemme take, like, four of these layers off."

Kit sighed. This was the third time they'd stopped so far, and Nita had had to remove her poncho, gloves, knit wool hat, and one sweater. Now, she stripped down to her T-shirt, jeans, socks and pair of running shoes and stuffed all her extra clothes into her claudication. She caught up to Kit and they continued their stroll along the dirt path. Snow was all around them, but the sun peered through the trees on either side of the path, placing spots of gold on the path and creating a scene that any postcard would be proud to have grace its front. The beauty of it all amazed both teens: the cardinals and bluebirds bouncing from limb to limb like overgrown fleas on caffeine, the deer sliding in and out of visibility in the cover of the trees...

Nita sighed, slipping her hand into Kit's as she listened to two squirrels arguing in their high-pitched, mile-a-minute voices. To quote:

'_I_ didn't touch the acorn! If anyone stole the acorn, it was _you_!'

'What do you mean '_I_ stole the acorn' when you really mean '_You_ stole the acorn!' you fool?'

All of which took about 3 seconds.

A/N: Most of you are probably thinking, _HUH?_ Well, hey, I dunno. I took the idea from Chip 'N Dale. Good ole Disney...

Nita looked at Kit, then burst out laughing. Kit nudged Nita gently.

"Hey, sounds like us."

Nita sighed and laid her head on Kit's shoulder, letting her auburn hair drift in the cool breeze.

"Probably does," she said dreamily.

Kit suddenly seemed very uncomfortable.

"Hey, uh, Nita? Could you...take your head off my shoulder? I mean, it's nice and all, but we can't exactly walk like that..."

Nita rolled her eyes good-naturedly and obligingly lifted her head.

"Thanks," Kit sighed.

They moved on, hand in hand, Nita's hair blowing back behind her in the crisp air. Kit looked at her and smiled to himself. She looked so cute like this...Kit placed a hand into his sweater pocket and remembered the digital camera he'd brought with him. He took it out and turned it on. With a smile, he aimed at Nita, who was walking with her head down, unaware of what was going on three feet from her face. The camera clicked, and Nita looked up at Kit.

"What was that?" she inquired uncertainly. 

Kit turned the camera so she was looking at a 2 by 1-inch photo of herself on the camera's LCD screen. Nita looked up, a smile on her face.

"Do I really look that good?"

Kit smiled and replied softly, "I think you can answer that."

Nita punched him lightly.

"C'mon, Romeo. Let's keep going."

Kit smiled and put an arm around her as they moved on.

Nita sat down to a bowl of warm soup and apple cider in front of their room's fireplace, in which a large pile of logs was burning brightly. Kit sat next to her, looking around.

"Wow. They sure like making their visitors feel at home, don't they?"

Their hotel room had been transformed into what appeared to be a typical family living room: three couches, a table in the center, a fireplace, and a large TV on the mantle. Nita took a sip of her chicken noodle soup.

"Mmmm. This is really good. Yeah, they do, Kit. Taste the soup. It's like it's homemade."

"Really?"

Kit dipped a spoon into his own soup and, blowing on it, gulped it down.

"Wow. Yeah, you're right, Nita. This is probably _the_ best hotel I've stayed in so far."

Fred made an appearance out of nowhere, his usual style now.

__

Hey Nita, Kit. Had a good time?

Kit glanced at Nita, who grinned and nodded.

"Yeah, thanks, Fred. It was a really good experience for both of us."

Kit frowned and swatted his right ear a few times. A small amount of snow fell out and was instantly vaporized by the heat of the room. Nita smiled at the recollection: A snowball fight had ensued, and she'd smacked Kit in the ear more than once. She, on the other hand, had been hit in the forehead more that once as well, thanks to Kit's amazing accuracy. He smiled back at her for a few moments, then turned his attention to his food.

Kit slid into bed without worries, the night peaceful, the fire still going. Nita lay in the bed next to him, breathing gently. (Next to meaning a completely different bed than him, a one-person bed!) Kit sighed, watching the flames dance and flicker. A sense of peace crept over him, and he touched Nita's hand gently.

"Hey, Nita?" he whispered.

"Hmm?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah...I feel different, though. Like I can actually get to bed without stress."

"Same here. It's so peaceful up here. I love it..."

"Yeah."

"You know..."

"What?"

"It's almost as beautiful up here as you."

Nita clicked her light off so Kit wouldn't see her blush.

"I love you too, Kit."

Kit sighed, overcome by the amount of courage he'd put into that last remark, and pressed a button. The fire hissed and went out, and the room was quiet. Nita's gentle breathing told him she was asleep, and he sighed, looking up at the ceiling. Fred bobbed in a corner, his light dimmed slightly, but still acting like a living nightlight. Kit sighed again, and, before he knew it, was asleep.


	17. Tennis Lessons

A/N: Before I start with the story, I'd like to thank all of my reviewers for their input, but a few especially for their advice:

Kanojotachi

Birdhead

mystic-angel1

Fireblade K'Chona

Anyways, thank you all, and I hope you like this story.

_Chapter 17_

_Tennis Lessons_

 Kit had been up for three hours. He'd showered, watched TV, surfed the web, mindspoke with Dairine, finished a book, gone for a quick walk, and gotten breakfast for both of them. Nita was still asleep. He glanced at his watch. 11:16 in the morning. He tapped his foot impatiently, half-watching the Channel 11 news, then, in a fit of mischief, chucked a pillow at Nita. It missed, bouncing off the bed next to her. Kit turned a corner of his mouth up wryly, then grabbed another pillow. He wound up, taking careful aim at a spot just above Nita's head, and let fly. It hit Nita in the ear and bounced onto the floor. Nita sat up, startled, her hair crackling with static electricity. Kit bit his lip to keep from laughing aloud as her hair floated out to the side, and she glared at him. 

"What?"

Kit shrugged.

"You've been snoozing ever since I woke up."

"Oh yeah?" Nita challenged. "And when was that?"

"Eight."

"Uh-huh. I heard you walking around at ten."

"I got back from my walk then, stupid."

"How long was your walk?"

She ducked as a McDonalds bag came flying at her.

"Shut up and eat," Kit laughed.

She rolled her eyes and slid out of bed, tossing the bag onto the nightstand. Sleepily, she stumbled into the bathroom and slammed and locked the door behind her. 

She came out a few minutes later in a NYPD T-shirt and a pair of Levis, wide-awake. In between bites of an egg and sausage McMuffin, she inquired, "So what's today's game plan?"

"Dunno. Whaddya want to do?"

Nita swallowed.

"Uhh… "

"_Anything_."

Nita's face suddenly lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Maybe another walk," she suggested, mischief dancing in her slate-gray eyes.

Kit shook his head, smiling.

"Last time we took a walk together, I ended up having to pick snow out of my ears. Not that I didn't like the walk itself…" he finished hurriedly. "…but I don't think another snowball fight would be in order."

Nita glared at him, then, unable to restrain herself, grinned.

"Oookay. So…"

"How about a tennis game?"

Nita raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure you're good enough?" she asked with a grin.

Kit laughed.

"Miss Big Ego."

Nita shrugged.

"You're on."

_Whap_.

_Bam._

Nita shot another fuzzy green blur straight past Kit and into the chain-link fence behind him.

_Whap._

_Bam._

And another.

_Whap._

_Bam._

Yet another narrowly missed his forehead.

_Whap._

_Whap._

Kit, by some miracle of nature, ricocheted the 90-mph serve back at Nita. She coolly reflected it back at him.

_Whap._

_Whap._

_Whap._

_Whap._

_Smack._

"Ow…"

The ball rolled away merrily, content with the injury its arch-foe had just sustained. Kit rubbed his forehead as Nita doubled over laughing on the other side of the net. He rolled his eyes as he heard the ball join in, sounding very much like a rubber sheep.

"Oh, c'mon you guys. Was it really that funny?"

_Yeah._

"I wasn't asking _you_, fuzzball."

_Whatever._

"Yeah," Nita giggled, her eyes alight with amusement.

Kit rolled his eyes.

"Fine. Team up with the tennis ball."

Nita shook her head smilingly and came around the net. Patting her best friend's shoulder comfortingly, trying to hide a smile, she grinned and murmured soothingly, "There, there, Kit…there's always a next time."

She stifled a scream as Kit grabbed her, sweeping her off her feet, and tickled her behind her left ear. She squirmed under his onslaught, laughing hard, then let out a gasp as Kit suddenly jerked, as if to drop her. He caught her at the last moment, and she gave a short, breathless laugh.

"Kit Rodriguez!" she cried, giving him a kick, hard enough to hurt him slightly, but not hard enough to cause a major bruise. "I swear to…if you ever do that again, I'm gonna…"

Kit hoisted her to her feet and grinned evilly.

"Oh, don't be such a spoilsport, Neets," he chuckled.

She bounced a pebble off his head, laughing.

"C'mon, Kit. Get the oversized neon ball of fur and let's go."

_I highly object to that remark._

Kit bounced it a couple of times, then tossed it into his bag and started the walk back toward the hotel.

"You know, maybe I should give you tennis lessons," Nita mused.

Kit choked on his Pepsi. After he spat the half-regurgitated Pepsi out, he sighed.

"Ah, no. Last time I tried taking lessons from you…" 

Nita smiled.

"C'mon, Kit. It'll be fun."

"No."

Nita's expression changed to her famed wounded-puppy expression.

Kit caved in with a _bam_.

"Fine, fine. So if I come back looking like Swiss Cheese…"

"We'll all point and laugh at you."

Kit gave her a light punch and resignedly followed her out the door to his imminent doom.


	18. Will We Ever

_Chapter 18_

_Will We Ever…_

Orange-red flames crackled merrily in the fireplace of the cozy hotel room, illuminating two teenagers on the couch in front of the hearth, watching reruns of _The Fairly Oddparents _for what Kit felt was the eighteenth time. 

"_Auggh…_" he groaned as another episode started up. "_Spare _me, Nita…"

She grinned wickedly at him in the semi-darkness, comforted by the warmth of the room.

"Oh, c'mon, Kit… just this next one…"

Kit moaned.

"That's what you told me at seven. It's almost eight. I'm sorry, Neets, but I am _sick_ of this…"

Nita prodded him gently.

"You weren't saying that when I was watching it with you like _this_…"

Her left arm wrapped around Kit's shoulders, and she pulled him close to her, laying her head on his right shoulder, exactly in the spot she knew he liked. He sighed, trying hard not to blush, and muttered in a voice strained to keep from laughing, "Oh…fine. After this one, we change the channel."

_Two hours later_

The marathon finished at ten that night. As the final credits on the show rolled, Kit, with visions of Wanda and Cosmo, Timmy and Vicky dancing before his eyes, winced and almost moved his arm. About ten minutes ago, Nita had fallen asleep without warning, and her head had managed to somehow block blood circulation to his right arm, which had been draped around her shoulders for most of the marathon. He winced. His arm was currently tingling horribly, as if a 2-ton wrecking ball had just bashed against his funnybone, and it was slowly going numb. Kit moved it slightly, just to test. Nita muttered something in her sleep, rolling over to face Kit, who was suddenly reluctant to move the arm and was concentrating on reaching his camera. By some miracle of physics, he managed to grab it and turned it on, focusing on Nita's sleeping features. He very quickly slid the arm out from under her head, and breathed a sigh of relief when she didn't move, except to cough slightly. He shook his arm frantically, gritting his teeth when the circulation started again. As the tingling subsided, he gazed fondly at his best friend. Her wavy auburn hair neatly framed her peaceful features, and Kit could almost imagine a halo hovering above her head. He gently brushed a stray lock of hair out of her face, and she twitched slightly. Kit framed her in the LCD display, then hit the shutter release. There was a burst of light, then a larger flash as the camera lit first the background, then the subject. To Kit's amazement, Nita didn't budge. He gently tucked her hair behind her ears, planted a kiss on her forehead, and climbed up into his bed. Kit watched Fred float in from somewhere outside, a sense of peace washing over him and enveloping him like an ocean wave. He was asleep in a matter of seconds.

The first thing Nita knew was that she was totally isolated in a vast expanse of nothing. The darkness seemed to close in around her, muffling anything she said, enveloping anything she could see. Blinded, she stumbled to her feet, calling softly, "Anyone here…?"

The darkness seemed to swallow her words before they could reach any ear of anything that could hear out in the vast expanse, beyond the darkness that enveloped her. She took a step forward, then paused. Something was calling her name.

_Nita…_

She glanced around, looking for the source of the voice.

_Nita…_

The voice was high and reedy, no more than a hiss through the opaque fog surrounding her. Nita could sense something waiting for her just outside the darkness.

_Nita…_

"What d'you want?" she called.

_Nita…_

Nita had no other choice than to begin to be wary.

"What?" she called once more.

_We…we want you…_

"Why?"

_You… Nita…_

"Why!?"

_Nita…_

She was getting jumpy now as her fear escalated.

"What!?" she cried, wincing at the harshness of her own voice.

_Nita…_

Suddenly, the fog gave way, and Nita recoiled in terror at the sight of what stood before her. 

Never, not even on the day of the collapse of the Twin Towers, never had she been as terrified as she was now. Out on the vast wasteland that sprawled before her, out amongst the dust, stood a city. But no city on earth, or even in the universe, could look as this did.

The buildings, she could see from her viewpoint, were black with age and rotting away. Huge, gaping holes had been punched in every single structure; shattering windows, buckling and splintering wooden crossbeams… just the sight of that was enough to make anyone apprehensive. But what scared Nita were the inhabitants, which were before her.

The correct word would be _former_ inhabitants, as they were now unfit to stay in any place. At least fourscore of them were before her: people. Dead people. And they were standing. And moving.

One of them stepped forward, and Nita, eyes wide with terror, stepped backward. It was a truly hideous sight: Its skin, which appeared to have been formerly normal, was now gray and black, with the flesh falling away in various places to reveal the rotting muscles and decaying organs underneath. It bent over to tighten something at its foot, sending blood and some digestive juices tumbling to the ground. Nita felt sick. The thing looked up and scratched its head ponderously. As it did so, chunks of skin fell to the ground, showering off its head. Its eyes burned with a pale red light, and it reached a ripped hand toward Nita's neck.

_We need to draw blood…_

Nita screamed.

She sat bolt upright in bed, sweat pouring down her face, heart pounding, breathing hard. In his bed, Kit mumbled in a voice clogged with sleep, "Whassamatter Nita?"

Breathing hard, Nita swallowed to calm herself.

"No…nothing…"

Kit sighed, turned over, and went back to sleep.

Nita lay down again, nervously tucking her hair behind her ears a she tried vainly to get back to bed. It would be hours before she would be able to drift ff once more.

Nita woke the next morning to find Kit halfway through _Pirates of the Carribean_, which she had been dying to see. Frustrated and a bit hurt, she swung herself out of bed and knelt beside him, giving him a gentle smack upside the head.

"Heyyyyy…" she protested quietly.

"Not nice starting without me…"

Kit rolled his eyes at her.

"Well, I couldn't exactly drag you out of bed and make you watch it, you would've slapped me…"

Nita flushed and restrained a stream of hot words.

"Oh."

Kit kissed her forehead gently, driving all rebellious thoughts out of her head.

"…but it would've been worth it…"

Nita pushed him away gently.

"We can do this later…I want to watch this…"

Kit gave her a slightly amused look, but settled down to watch the movie with her.

Kit smiled slightly as Nita chorused the ending words with Capt. Jack Sparrow.

"….drink up me hearties, yo ho…"

As the credits rolled onscreen, Kit grinned at her.

"Aaaaand…"

Nita smiled wryly.

"If you want. But we're _not_…"

"Duh. I don't want to."

"Okay. Good. Bec-…."

The rest of Nita's sentence was cut off as Kit's lips quickly met hers, which was just as well, because Kit knew what had been coming, and didn't want to hear her say it.

Nita sank into his kiss like she had never done before, letting the sweetness build inside her body until she thought she would burst. She made a small noise of contentment as Kit wrapped his arms around her, and all her worries were washed away in the flood of emotion that flowed between them.

Kit deepened the kiss with Nita's noise of consent. The emotions between them became stronger and stronger, until Kit thought that they might leave a 'ghost' behind them when they left. 

**A/N: Read _A Wizard Abroad_ and you'll understand.**

Nita tried to pick her way through Kit's emotions: Love, happiness, concern and…. She blinked.

Nervousness? She mentally shrugged. There was more than one thing in their lives to be nervous about…

Her thoughts were interrupted as they fell over backwards, Nita landing on top of Kit at the exact moment Dairine popped in.

Uh-oh….

**A/N: This is getting good… I love my plot. _dodges blow from nearby best friend_**

**It's better than yours, Brad.**

**_gets smacked upside the head by best friend_**

**Ow.**

**Hey, who's watching the Daytona 500 on Sunday? I AM!!!!**

**2/15/04**

**Let's Go Racing.**

**Or**

**BOOGITY BOOGITY BOOGITY**

**Darrel Waltrip**

**I'll shut up now.**

**_…_**

**_…_**

**_…_**

**_smack_**

**Ow!**


	19. No Duh

Chapter 19

No Duh…

"Look, Dairine, that's the _last_ thing on our minds!" Kit yelled, his face going a dark red as he cast a sidelong glance at Nita, who was also going steadily crimson.

"We… we just don't want to this early in life!"

Nita, thoroughly humiliated and embarrassed, elbowed him in the ribs.

"Shuttup, Kit," she hissed at him. "You're making it worse…"

Dairine made a very rude gesture with her face.

"SHUT UP, DAIRINE!" Nita bellowed, her face going even darker red with embarrassment. "I DO NOT!"

Dairine grinned wickedly at her infuriated sibling.

"Sure, sure. Now calm down and get on with your business… whatever that may be. _Hasta la vista._"

She dodged a pillow from Nita, and with a pop, vanished.

Nita stood, breathing hard, tears of humiliation in her eyes, as Kit gently enveloped her in a hug. She wrenched him off, gritted her teeth, and vanished likewise with a barked syllable and a loud bang. Kit winced, skittered over to the door, and peered out to see if anyone got the idea there was a bomb in the hotel. No one did, so Kit shut the door quietly and wondered where Nita had gone.

A/N: I **_KNOW_**  it's short. I ALSO know I haven't updated for one heck of a long time… Junior high's getting to me. sob Anyways, R and R, and enjoy your day. Summer's Just around the corner.


	20. Stressed?

Chapter 22 Stressed?  
  
Kit sighed and rubbed his eyes, closing The Hobbit for the last time and placing it on the bedside dresser. He glanced at the LCD clock next to his hand: 6:28 in the evening. Nita still wasn't back. Kit sighed again, then sneezed. He groaned.  
  
"Aw, great..."  
  
He sneezed again. His eyes began to water, and he sniffed and headed for the bathroom.  
  
Part of a bottle of Clarinex later, he emerged, eyes reddened, wiping his nose with a Kleenex. He tossed the tissue into the trash, then made a quick mental transmission.  
  
Neets?  
  
Silence, then  
  
Nhhhhnnn?  
  
Incredibly awake.  
  
Never mind.  
  
Kit?  
  
Yeah.  
  
Oh. What's up? You got me up...  
  
Sorry.  
  
'S okay. I needed that. What's up?  
  
I was just wondering where you went...  
  
I'm at home.  
  
Ok...  
  
Kit broke off the transmission, then quickly dropped a transport circle on the ground. As an afterthought, he quickly darted outside, hung a Do Not Disturb sign on the outside of the door, then hurried over and stepped on the circle. He vanished without so much as a breeze to ruffle the curtains.  
  
Nita looked up from her book as Kit popped in, smiling ruefully as she attempted to inconspicuously close the thick volume and shove it beneath her bed. It failed utterly as Kit caught sight of the title.  
  
"Ten Ways to Becoming a Better Kisser?"  
  
Kit looked at Nita, who went deep red and avoided his gaze.  
  
She stammered something incomprehensible, then her face went even darker red as Kit nudged her gently.  
  
"So. Give me an example of how you're a better kisser now."  
  
Nita shoved him. "Kiiiiiiit!!!"  
  
He smiled. "Well?"  
  
She groaned, then sat down before him. She took his hands in hers, and Emotions flowed like word between them. No words of any sorts were passed between them.  
  
Gray eyes met brown ones, and both pairs watched as the other darkened slightly. Neither Nita nor Kit took their eyes off of one another as they leaned forward slightly, until their lips met. Nita's eyes closed, as did Kits', and they quickly increased the passion of the kiss, finding the initial one was unsatisfactory for what they were feeling.  
  
Nita deepened the kiss even further, wrapping her arms around Kit as she did so. He sighed gently into it, lost his balance, and fell over onto his back. Nita broke the kiss, smiled down at him, then ducked down and resumed her expression of love.  
  
Fifteen minutes later, they broke apart, eyes shimmering with love and with emotion as they gazed at each other in one long, soppy moment, before Dairine's approaching footsteps warned them of something.  
  
"Oh, crud..."  
  
A transit circle was quickly dropped, and they were gone.  
  
Dairine cracked open the door, spied and grabbed a tissue, then ducked back out, her eyes watering, her sneeze echoing throughout the hall. 


	21. The Card Game

Chapter 25 Card Game  
  
The fire crackled once more in the fireplace of the cozy little Vermont Hotel, the firelight dancing and flickering its way over Nita and Kit as they sat on either side of the low coffee table, playing Gin Rummy.  
  
Every Time our Eyes meet This feeling inside me Is almost more than I can take  
  
Nita sighed, picked up a card, then set down the three of clubs. She allowed her gaze to flicker to Kit's face, and their eyes locked. She grinned, feeling a wave of love surge up inside her, then lowered her gaze back to her cards.  
  
Baby when you touch me I can feel how much you love me And it just blows me away  
  
Kit picked up a card, then laid down a ten of hearts. Nita's hand went for it before he could move his hand, and they touched. She looked at him again, and her eyes sparkled with affection. Kit could literally feel the love coursing through her body and into her hand, felt it pulsing gently in his hand. Nita's loving voice startled him out of his reverie.  
  
"Uhh...Kit? Could you please let go so I can play?" Embarrassed, Kit quickly let go. She smiled gently at him again, then picked up and threw a four of spades down onto the deck.  
  
I've never been this close to anyone or anything I can hear your thoughts I can see your dreams  
  
Nita almost laughed as she realized she could hear what Kit was thinking. Okay... what do I do without the four of diamonds...? She had to bite her lip to keep from breaking out in laugher as she looked down at her hand. There lay: The Four of Diamonds The five of diamonds The six of diamonds The nine of spades The Eight of Diamonds The nine of Diamonds  
  
I don't know how you do what you do But I'm so in love with you It just keeps getting better I wanna spend the rest of my life With you by my side Forever and ever Every little thing that you do Baby I'm amazed by you.  
  
Nita looked at Kit's eyes, then, with a flourish picked up a card, then flung down the nine of spades.  
  
Kit's eyes filled with a growing amusement, then groaned good-naturedly.  
  
"Whatcha got?"  
  
Nita laughed and slapped down her hand. "Gin!" The seven of diamonds filled the gap where the nine of spades had been.  
  
Kit's face lengthened, and he groaned. "That's where the four was... oh noooooo...."  
  
He lay down his hand: 10of diamonds Jack of Diamonds Queen of Diamonds King of diamonds Ace of Diamonds 4 of hearts 5 of hearts  
  
Nita laughed and gave him a shove. "Got your butt kicked right there!"  
  
Kit rolled his eyes, then his hand shot out. Nita flinched away as he thoroughly tousled her hair, and she slapped him away.  
  
"Kiiiitt!!"  
  
He laughed and gave her a playful nudge.  
  
"Teach you to brag..."  
  
Nita rolled her eyes, then socked him again.  
  
"Alright. Whatever."  
  
She laughed, kissed Kit once more, then went off to go take her shower. 


	22. Chapter 26

__

Chapter 23

Takin' it Easy

Kit woke to the sound of birds chirping outside the hotel window, to the sound of Saturday morning cartoons, to the smell of coffee brewing on the room's stove…

The sudden sight and smell of a hotel pillow being stuffed violently into his face.

Nita's slim figure shook with laughter as she watched Kit trying to pull the pillowcase off his head. 

"_Nita Callahan!_ Ooooh, you're gonna get it… when I get my hands on you, I'm gonna…"

Nita gave him a gentle shove, sending him sprawling onto the bed.

"Oh, shut up," she grinned. "You look like a mentally incapacitated fool."

Kit suddenly gave a sharp gasp, cut it off, and fell prone to the floor. Nita laughed.

"Oh, c'mon, Kit. You can't fool me that easily."

Kit didn't move.

"Kit?"

Nita, worried, dropped to her knees and pulled the pillow off Kit's head. She groaned as Kit's head lolled limply to one side.

"Oh, God, no… Kit? You okay? Kit? C'mon, Kit..."

She shook him gently, then picked him up slowly.

"Kit?"

Instantly, both his eyes snapped open, and he threw his weight against Nita. With a surprised start and a stifled shriek, they toppled over backward. Nita found her arms frozen at her sides as Kit pinned her, tousling her hair. She squirmed under him, laughing and shrieking.

"Kiiit!!! C'mon, stoppit!"

Kit stopped. She groaned.

"Fine. Now will you please _get off my stomach?_"

He considered that, then sighed and moved as if to get off. Suddenly, a mischievous glint shone in his eyes, and he leaned down close.

"No."

"Aaaaggghhhh, _Kit!_"

Kit made no response other than to squeeze her shoulder gently. Nita instantly burst out laughing.

"KIT!!! _Stopppp_!"

Kit grinned.

"It tickles, huh, Nita?"

"KIT! GET OFF!"

"Do I hear a please?"

Nita, exasperated, looked at him, and her face suddenly softened.

Kit squeezed his eyes shut.

"Noooo… not the puppy dog look…"

"Pweez?"

Kit, even though he knew he was being manipulated, got off her chest. Nita got up slowly, dusted off her shirt, then smacked him upside the head.

"That was for tickling me."

Kit shook his head to clear the stars dancing before his eyes.

__

Smack.

"And that was for not kissing me."

Kit shook his head again.

"What? You want me to kiss you?"

Nita stood with her hands on her slim hips, looking fiercely up into her best friend's brown eyes.

"Apologize."

Kit sighed, gave her a small smile, and bent down. He gave her a quick peck on the lips and tried to draw away, but she was already deepening the kiss. He sighed, and put up with it for a while.

After about a minute of the kiss, he drew away. Nita remained, with a dreamy look in her eyes as she gently hugged her friend.

"So. You think that book helped?"

Kit looked lovingly down at her, love swelling in his chest.

"Nita?"

"Hmm?"

"I couldn't care less. I'm just happy to be with you."

Nita tucked her head under Kit's chin, sighing contentedly and nudging him affectionately.

"You don't mean that, of course."

Kit kissed her forehead.

"Yeah, I did."

Nita looked up at Kit with adoration dancing in her light gray eyes.

"Aww, Kit… that was _sweet _of you…"

She leaned up and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

He relented for a few moments, then leaned away, giving Nita a gentle nudge. She broke the kiss, then slipped quickly out of Kit's arms and walked over to the windows. She pulled up the lock and slid the window open, scaring off a few sparrows as she did so.

She sighed, then smiled at nothing in particular.

"Wonder what it's like at home right now," she murmured to herself.

Kit joined her at the window, slipping an arm around her waist.

"Mike's probably shouting at some poor kid again," he grinned, referring to the grouchy old hot dog cart man that was known for his fierce exterior and his heart of marshmallow, a fellow wizard, and a superb hot dog man.

Nita grinned.

"Dad's probably watching football and thanking the fates that we're gone."

"Yeah…"

They were quiet for a while, gazing out the window at the tranquil woodland setting sprawling out below the windowsill, then Nita sighed.

"And another year bites the dust…"

Kit stared at her.

In his most intelligent voice, he replied with a very impressive 

"Huh?"

Nita gave him a sidelong glance.

"Tomorrow."

Still blank.

Then:

"Oooooooohhhh."

Nita sighed.

"Yeah."

"Okay…"

"Well?"

"What?"

Following this extremely complex conversation, Nita sighed and shook her head.

"Never mind."

"Okay…"

Nita rolled her eyes, then changed the subject.

"So… when do you want to get out of Vermont?"

"Uhhh… I dunno. Whattabout you?"

"Depends."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

An awkward silence fell between them, then Nita sighed.

"I'm gonna go take a shower. 'Kay?"

Kit sighed.

"Yeah. I'm gonna go take a walk."

"Okay. When'll you be back?"

"Maybe a half hour."

"Okay. See you then…"

"Okay… Se ya."

Nita flashed a grin at him, then whirled into the bathroom and slammed and locked the door behind her. Kit sighed, tossed a transport circle to the ground, and stepped on it was a muttered syllable. He was gone with a small bang.

The wind tousled Kit's dark hair as he walked down the sidewalk past a large shopping center, head down, hands in his pockets as he racked his brain.

__

What the heck am I gonna get Neets for her bday?

He happened to glance to his left, across the street from the shopping center, and saw an animal shelter standing at the end of a short dirt road. He glanced left and right, then jaywalked across the street, earning a friendly reprimander from a passing cop, then walked into the shelter.

Immediately, he knew Nita would fall in love with the animals the place housed. He sighed and glanced around. Kittens and puppies alike looked through the bars of their cages at him, each begging him to take it home with him. Kit walked down the aisle, then stopped dead in front of a cage. A tiny, black-and-white kitten stared out at him, hardly more than two days old. It mewed and looked at him with hopeful eyes. Kit smiled, then waved the attendant over.

"I'll take this one."

The attendant smiled, then nodded.

"Good. You know, he was born less then four hours ago, with two brothers and four sisters. We wondered what was going to happen to them."

She looked at him, then at the cat.

"Let me guess. A present for your girl?"

Kit blushed, then nodded.

"How'd you guess?"

The assistant grinned.

"You looked like that kind of guy. What's her name?"

Kit looked at her curiously.

"Nita. Why do you ask?"

The assistant's brow furrowed.

"Nita? She wouldn't happen to be a Callahan, would she?"

"Yeah."

"You're kidding. Ole Nita Callahan? I went to elementary school with her! My name's Anne. Ann Kenward."

"Really."

"Yup. How's she doing?"

"She's okay."

Anne checked her watch.

"Tell you what. I'm getting off my shift in about an hour. Tell Neets to meet me out at Reeds Park. You and the cat can come along, too."

Kit bobbed his head.

"I will. Thanks, Anne."

"No prob. See you in bout an hour."

Kit nodded, then went out the door.

After a short talk with the hotel manager about pets in the room, Kit promised to remove any traces that a cat had ever been in the room by the time they left that day.

The manager had to agree. There weren't too many people who would offer to remove pet odors from a room. He watched Kit walking down the hall, thinking to himself, _You'd need to be a wizard to do _that_…_

Nita flicked her wet hair over one shoulder in a bored manner, then glanced up, relieved as the room's door cracked open and Kit poked his head in. She smiled charmingly at him, and he raised an eyebrow in return. 

"Hey, Neets."

Nita blinked as Kit hovered in the doorway, as if undecided on whether to come in or not. She beckoned him in.

Thinking fast, Kit unzipped a small claudication, placed the kitten gently into it, rezipped it, and entered the room.

"So… what's up?"

Nita gazed at him curiously.

"Nothing much. You?"

"Same."

Nita grinned suddenly, the mischievous, loving smile that Kit knew and loved.

"So, whatcha got in the claudication?" she laughed.

Kit, embarrassed, pulled the 'zipper' on the otherspace pocket. The kitten promptly poked its head out with a small "Mew".

As Kit had predicted, Nita fell in love.

"Awww…" she breathed, lifting the tiny fluffball out of the pocket and placing it on the bed, where it immediately rubbed up against her, purring.

__

"Dai st'iho," Nita said.

The kitten promptly fell over in surprise.

"A wizard!" it squeaked, sounding much like a squirrel that has taken in too much helium.

Nita giggled, her cheeks a light pink, then grabbed Kit and kissed him full on the lips.

"Oh, Kit… you didn't _have_ to…"

Kit rolled his eyes behind Nita's back, but wisely kept his mouth shut.

"…that was really nice of you."

She kissed him again, then looked back at the kitten.

"So," Nita began. "What's your name, squirt?"

The kitten sat up indignantly and began washing itself with one paw.

"My name," it grumbled between licks, "is Cassandra de Sistonce de Bartonme de Horacio. Or you can just call me Cass."

Nita sighed.

"I suppose you're a bard then, too?"

Cass looked up at Nita with barely disguised disgust.

"I am _not_ a _bard_. That's the _one_ thing I _don't_ want to be. I am a poet."

Nita smiled thinly.

"Okay. Well, Cass the Fluffy, go pack your bags. We're going somewhere."

The kitten sneezed, then sighed.

"All right. If we must."

Nita nodded, lifted the cat up, and placed it on a desk. Cass yawned, curled up, and promptly went to sleep.

Nita banged her head down on the bed and began plucking her hair out, one strand at a time.

"Five seconds, and I'm _already_ stressed out by a cat," she groaned.

Kit patted her on the back, sending her a mental, "_I'm sorry…_" 

Nita smiled and sent back _S'all right. Nothing much in the way of physical harm… just mental._

Kit laughed, hugged her, then went to go pack his bags.

__

Where are Nita and Kit and Fred and Cass bound NOW? Will Fred be jealous when he finds a new cat? What will happen to Nita's sanity? What will happen to the author if he doesn't take his friend's name out of this story? I dunno. What will happen to B. Hunt if he doesn't stop posing as nokiarules1187? He is gonna get hurled out of Science class's window. THIS MEANS YOU HE WHO USES THE PENNAME OF DRAGONWIZARD AND IS TOO LAZY TO POST ANYTHING ON FANFICTION.NET.

A/N: Okay you guys. I have a few questions for you.

Where have all the reviewers gone?

My main problem: No one's reviewing this story anymore. I'm asking for anywhere from 10-20 reviews by March 31st, 2004, or I will refrain from posting. And I've got a few killer chappies next, including a couple things to round off shorter fics. I finally got my talent back into the rhythm. YAY!!!! So. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!!!

I'd like to thank my last reviewer, lily, for taking her time to review my work. And my most frequent, and the one who makes me laugh at her constant reviews, leipa. Or whatever you call yourself now. (lol)

Happy St. Patties Day.

And…

Check my homepage: or vyper676 is up & running. Racethetruck isn't.

Okay, I'm shutting up now.


	23. On the Road Again

__

The Real Chapter 23

On the Road… Again

Kit lay sprawled out on the hotel bed, bored out of his mind. Fred occasionally flitted in and out of the room, tweaking his own physical makeup with Kit's help.

Heaving a sigh, Kit turned his attention once more to _Overhaulin'_, watching a team of crack builders completely overhaul an Oldsmobile 442 coupe. He brought a cup of iced coffee to his lips, choked, and doubled over coughing as his manual sent a searing heat through his right thigh.

"Ow! Okay, okay, I'm getting it…"

He juggled his manual from one hand to the other, then finally dropped it onto the carpet, where it began to smolder, then cooled down enough for Kit to flip it to the messages section.

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GET OUT OF VERMONT. NEW ORLEANS, LA. MEET YOU THERE.

Tom/Carl

Kit stared, then jumped horribly as Nita took the opportunity to zap him in the ribs.

As Kit rolled onto his back, temporarily paralyzed, Nita grinned and punched him genially in the arm. "Hey, Kit," she chuckled. "Louisiana sounds good this time of year…"

Kit, regaining control of his limbs, pounced on her, laughing, "Yeah, it does," as he pinned her to the floor.

Nita playfully fought him, then gave in and let him extract the car keys from her pocket. Her gray eyes sparkling, she hoisted herself off the floor and began tossing her possessions into her duffel bag and her otherspace claudication.

After fifteen minutes of packing, Nita let loose the mass-cleaning spell that she'd used so many times in her own home and fled the room before it could get to her own junk.

They hurriedly checked out, and even before the hotel grandfather clock chimed 1 PM, the red Mustang pulled out of the lot and onto the highway, leaving behind quite a few happy memories.

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A/N: Sorry this was so dang short.... I didn't have enough time to crank out any more. And I apologize for taking… consults calendar four whole months to update… I promise Louisiana _will_ be better than this… again, sorry, and thanks for your patience.

Viper676


	24. Cajun Country

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Chapter 24

Cajun Country

Kit's red Mustang GT cruised down the Louisiana Superdome exit off the westbound I-10 and onto Derbigny Street. Nita's manual sat comfortably on the dash, occasionally sending up a small cloud of smoke as it heated up and flipped to the message section, where Tom or Carl would be posting instructions on where to meet them.

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Okay, you're on Derbigny. Hang a right onto Canal Street… yeah, there you go. Then follow the street down into the U-bend at the end and turn right onto Peters.

All the way down… now a RIGHT.

Now, turn right onto Conti Avenue… RIGHT, KIT, RIGHT.

Aaaand there you go. Wait… where are you?

Nita sighed as she read the last manual entry and flipped the manual shut. She could see Tom and Carl at the edge of Riverfront Park, looking around bemusedly for them. Heaving another sigh, she hurried over to them and greeted them.

"_Daist'iho_."

Carl jumped and looked around sheepishly at her. "Nita? Where _were_ you? We've been sitting here for _hours_ and we haven't seen the Civic…"

Nita looked at Carl incredulously. "Kit drives a red Mustang, Carl…"

Carl's head swiveled around, his gaze presumably settling on Kit, who was flashing the Mustang's headlights and waving frantically.

Tom watched impassively as Kit climbed out of the car, slipped, and bashed his elbow hard.

Unfortunately, it was on the horn that he bashed his elbow.

The Mustang's horn instantly deafened the poor, innocent squirrels hanging from an oak limb directly above the unfortunate Kit.

One of the said squirrels toppled off the branch and landed, kicking and squeaking, smack dab in the middle of Kit's head.

Kit froze, and reached a tentative hand up to touch his new fur cap, which, in its pure terror, sank its sharp incisors into Kit's index finger, instantly destroying its 'cute and cuddly' appearance. Well, at least, to Kit.

With a yell, Kit dashed past Tom, Carl, and Nita, swiping madly at the squirrel clinging to the top of his head for dear life.

All three watched as Kit pulled the squirrel off his head for a split second before the squirrel, dizzy, deaf, and confused, skittered back down his arm to find its place of comfort- namely, Kit's dark hair.

Kit ran past them again, trying in vain to wrench the squirrel out of its cozy nest and yelling at the top of his lungs.

"AAAAAAUGHGETITOUTGETITOUTSOMEBODYHELPME…"

Nita grabbed the collar of his shirt, and, holding him still against her chest in a crushing bear hug, gently pried the chattering animal out of Kit's hair and let it down onto the ground.

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Go on, you can leave… she said in the Speech.

With a "Meep," the squirrel bounded away and skittered up a tree, where it perched on a branch and promptly forgot about the whole incident as it found a large acorn hanging off one of the branches.

Nita quickly realized just whom she was hugging Kit in front of, and they broke apart fairly quickly, much to Tom and Carls' amusement.

Tom cast a merry glance at Carl. "Hey, Carl, why d'you think they never told _us_ about their feelings for one another?"

Carl, catching on very quickly, nodded somberly in agreement. "Yeah, Tom. _Us_,their resident Area Seniors. They should be ashamed of themselves."

Kit, patting the top of his head as if to reassure himself he was not wearing a squirrel as a hat still, had to restrain himself from rolling his eyes as Tom and Carl launched into a perfectly audible discussion of the hundreds of punishments they could use against the two 'lovebirds' for not revealing their secret. Nita, on the other hand, looked worried and asked in an undertone, "D'you think they're kidding?"

Kit shrugged indifferently. "Yeah, actually…"

He was interrupted by Tom and Carls' agreed punishment. "Make them _eat_ something!"

Nita glared at Kit and socked him forcefully in the arm.

"See what you've gotten us into?" she hissed.

Kit stared innocently at her, failed miserably, and resorted to begging instead.

"C'mon, Neets… I really didn't mean it… heh heh…"

He chuckled meagerly as Nita advanced menacingly on him, but Kit was saved a major pummeling by Tom's voice as he popped the passenger side door on the '89 Maxima they owned.

"Hey, Nita, Kit? Come over here."

Nita buried her face in her hands and paced forward, believing she was doomed to a slow and disgusting, tasteless death by food. Kit, on the other hand, looked somewhat delighted, but his joy subsided as Tom, grinning wickedly, removed two foil-covered Styrofoam bowls from the interior of the car and presented them to the pair.

"Shrimp jambalaya?"

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Nita swallowed another forkful of the spicy seafood goodness before laying her fork down and inquiring, "So, why on earth did you yank us out of Vermont like that?"

Carl's smile froze on his face, and he lay down his fork as well, having been stuffing his face with Eggs Pontchartrain, as Emeril called it.

"Listen, Nita? Do you know what Atlantis was?"

Nita nodded, repeating the name in the Speech. "Afallone?" She smiled sadly as she recalled the time when a creature much larger than her usual self had sung that at her.

Tom mimicked her action, nodding, and said gravely, "It's resurfaced."

Kit put down _his_ fork, saying quietly, "So how does this affect us?"

Carl looked incredulously at him. "Kit, do you know what kind of power, what kind of technology, is hidden on that island? Stuff even the Lone One doesn't have."

Nita looked confused. "Well, I was told it broke apart…"

"The crust underneath it did, the city itself didn't. I suppose it must have moved somehow with the currents and the movements of the crust over the years, and it's now off the coast of Louisiana."

"But wait," Kit interjected. "If there was technology that even the Lone Power didn't have, then, why, exactly, did he destroy it?"

"Because he wanted revenge, Kit. The Master Wizards there refused to let him through the gates, and, enraged, he kicked off the first of the earthquakes. And now that it's resurfaced, he once again has access to those technologies. And it's vital to the wellbeing of this earth, of the way we live at this moment in time, that we prevent the Lone One from obtaining these items."

Kit nodded. "Damn right."

Nita voiced her strong agreement as well, but inquired, "How, exactly, do we do that?"

Tom smiled genially at her, trying to lighten the mood.

"You'll see tomorrow. Finish off that jambalaya and go take a walk. We'll make reservations at the hotel for you."

Kit grinned. "Thanks, you guys…"

Carl laughed. "No problem. Now eat up, and we'll meet you back here."

Both teens obliged with a will.

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A/N: 10 reviews!!! 10 more reviews!!! Will update within the next week, as a promise… IF, and only IF, there are 10 more reviews in my email inbox. Thank you, ladies and gents, I'll see you all soon… I hope.


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